in brief: ellen page comes out at LGBT youth welfare conference

 

Ellen Page, star of 2007’s Juno and up-coming X Men: Days of Future Past, has come out as gay at conference THRIVE, which promotes the welfare of LGBT youth, held at Bally’s Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Page stated: ‘I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying 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 all that pain.’

Page reflects about the turmoil and hardship that she faced when concealing her sexuality in her early days of stardom during Juno:

‘It’s weird because here I am, an actress, representing – at least in some sense – an industry that places crushing standards on all of us, not just young people, but everyone. Standards of beauty. Of a good life. Of success. Standards that, I hate to admit, have affected me.’

Throughout the speech, Page was emotional and did her best at remaining collected.

She mentioned how reading about herself in tabloid magazines was hard and even referred to one article, accompanied by a photo of her wearing sweatpants on the way to the gym, that asked: ‘Why does this petite beauty insist upon dressing like a massive man?’

She answered: ‘Because I like to be comfortable,’ which was met with laughter and applause from the audience. 

Page concluded her eight minute speech to a standing ovation before wishing everyone a happy Valentine’s Day.

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