(CNSNews.com) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named Ellen DeGeneres a “special envoy” for global AIDS awareness during a speech on Tuesday at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

DeGeneres, a lesbian comedian who hosts NBC’s Ellen DeGeneres Show, is in a same-sex marriage with actress Portia de Rossi. DeGeneres will “use her celebrity platform to raise awareness about the global fight against AIDS,” according to a State Department press release.

The release also quoted from a letter Clinton sent to DeGeneres and from Degeneres's response.

“By lending us your energy, compassion, and star power to serve as our Special Envoy for Global AIDS Awareness, your words will encourage Americans in joining you to make their voices heard in our campaign to achieve an AIDS-free generation,” Clinton wrote. “The enormous platform of your television show and your social media channels will enable you to reach millions of people with the strong and hopeful message that we can win this fight.”

DeGeneres, as quoted in the release, said: “I’m honored to have been chosen by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as Special Envoy for Global AIDS awareness. The fight against AIDS is something that has always been close to my heart.”

“And I’m happy that I can use my platform to educate people and spread hope,” DeGeneres said.

The State Department notes that the Emmy-Award winning comedian and television talk-show host has 8 million followers on Twitter and 5.8 million Facebook Fans.

“At this historic moment in our global fight against AIDS, we are thrilled that we have someone like Ellen DeGeneres on our team to raise awareness that we are on the path to beating this devastating disease,” Eric Goosby, head of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), said. “We at PEPFAR look forward to working with her to deliver a positive and hopeful message that we can work together to put an end to AIDS.”