Ellen Page Comes Out on Valentine’s Day

Ellen Page, 26, announced she was gay during an emotional speech last Friday, Feb. 14 at the Time to THRIVE conference, an inaugural national conference that promotes safety, inclusion and well-being of the LGBTQ community.

Page is well-known for her role as a pregnant teenager in the movie, “Juno.” However, the talented Canadian actress has also starred in “Smart People,” “Whip It,” “Inception,” and “X-Men: The Last Stand.”

Page was welcomed to the stage by X-men star, Patrick Stewart. Then, Page began her speech by explaining how important it is for people to love one another, rather than focus on their orientation.  She said, “It is such an honor to be here.” Page expressed how she deeply admires the organization because its members work to make other people’s lives better.

As her speech began to fill the Las Vegas conference hall with positive energy, Page said, “I am here today because I am gay and because maybe, I can make a difference to help others have an easier and more hopeful time.” She stated that she “felt a personal obligation” to come out of hiding.

She spoke on the struggles of discrimination, pain, and suffering that homosexual people endure. “The world would be a whole lot better if we just learned how to be less horrible to one another,” said Page. “If we took just five minutes to recognize each other’s beauty instead of attacking each other for our differences… It’s not hard. It’s really an easier and better way to live, and ultimately it saves lives.”

Page congratulated football player, Michael Sam, and called him a “hero” for coming out to the public in an interview with ESPN. If drafted, Sam will become the first openly gay NFL player.

Page also acknowledged the pain and suffering she endured over the years because she was “scared to be out.” She said, “[The suffering affected my] spirit, mental health, and relationship.” She described how hiding the truth was “toxic, painful, and deeply unfair.”

At this point of her speech, it was quite clear that Page felt relieved and that the weight of being scared to come out publicly was finally lifted off of her shoulders.

Page stated, “Loving other people starts with loving and accepting ourselves. I am young, yes. But what I have learned is that love, the beauty of it, joy of it, and yes, even the pain of it is the most incredible gift to give and receive as a human being.”

Page concluded her speech by saying, “Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for giving me hope, and please keep changing the world for people like me.”

The young actress received a standing ovation for the courageous speech she had delivered.  Along with the standing ovation, Page received encouraging tweets about her coming out. One from the Human Rights Campaign read, “Congratulations, @EllenPage for taking the steps to live openly and come out as lesbian. #comingout.”