>>The medal of freedom for saying that you're a lesbian??????

As you note, that medal is awarded by the President to recognize civilians who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." Presumably deGeneres was a cultural recipient among the 21 recipients named by Obama in 2016 who included scientists, mathematicians, sportspeople, artists, architects, educators, performers,ex-military and other recognizable names like Bill and Melinda Gates.

In fairness it can't have been easy for deGeneres, even though female homosexuality didn't have the same stigma as male homosexuality all those years ago. Didn't she lose her job over it? Anyway, she's one of 21 and it's a good "identity politics" choice for an outgoing president, though she's also been an impressive entertainer in her own right for a long time.