Ellen Page has come out as gay with a powerful public speech. Page made the announcement last night with a powerful, inspiring address at the Human Rights Campaign’s Time to Thrive Conference in Las Vegas.
In the middle of a speech on the need broader themes of the need for equality and an end to prejudice towards LGBT people, Page told the audience, “I am here today because I am gay.”
The star of Juno and Inception spoke of the oppression felt by gay people, and the debilitating effects that prejudice has, saying:
"You have ideas planted in your head, thoughts you never had before, that tell you how you have to act, how you have to dress and who you have to be. I have been trying to push back, to be authentic, to follow my heart, but it can be hard."
Page went on to say: ““Loving other people starts with loving ourselves and accepting ourselves. And I know many of you have struggled with this, and I draw on your strength and your support in ways that you will never know. And I am here today because I am gay.”
The crowd gave the Canadian actress a standing ovation, following which she continued, speaking about her sense of responsibility to come out.
“Maybe I can make a difference, to help others have an easier and more hopeful time. Regardless, for me I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility.
The motivations were not, Page admitted, purely for the greater good, but for her own ‘selfish’ reasons. She spoke of her own personal experience and the toll she had paid for hiding her sexuality.
“I also do it selfishly, because I’m tired of hiding, and I’m tired of hiding by omission.
“I suffered for years because I was scared to be out.
“My spirit suffered, my mental health suffered and my relationships suffered. And I’m standing here today with all of you on the other side of that pain,” a noticeably emotional Page said.
Page’s announcement comes less than a week after another high profile story of an American public figure coming out. Last Sunday NFL prospect Michael Sam –previously hotly tipped to make it to the NFL in this year’s draft – announced he is gay. Should Sam be picked in the draft he would become the first openly gay, active player in a major American sport.
Sports Illustrated has reported however that several anonymous sources from within the NFL have told them Sam’s announcement will have significantly weakened his chances of a professional career in the game.
One source told the magazine the presence of a gay man in an NFL locker room would have a destablising effect on an NFL team. “In the coming decade or two, it's going to be acceptable, but at this point in time it's still a man's-man game. To call somebody a [gay slur] is still so commonplace. It'd chemically imbalance an NFL locker room and meeting room," the source said.
