 |
| Photo: Getty Images |
Ellen Page came out Friday night at the podium of the Human Rights Campaign’s Time to Thrive conference. In her speech, she slammed stereotypes about masculinity and femininity that encourage the scrutiny of anyone who doesn’t embody them.
“I try not to read gossip as a rule,” Page said, “but the other day a website ran an article with a picture of me wearing sweatpants on the way to the gym. The writer asked, ‘Why does [this] petite beauty insist upon dressing like a massive man?'”
She answered the question, “Because I like to be comfortable,” to applause. “There are pervasive stereotypes about masculinity and femininity that define how we are all supposed to act, dress and speak. They serve no one. Anyone who defies these so-called ‘norms’ becomes worthy of comment and scrutiny. The LGBT community knows this all too well.”
Page suggested we all take five minutes each day to recognize one another’s beauty rather than tear each other down for not fitting a norm, which, she admitted, the film industry she works in only promotes.
Then, she came out:
I’m here today because I am gay. And because… 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.
I also do it selfishly, because 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. I am young, yes, but what I have learned is that love, the beauty of it, the joy of it and yes, even the pain of it, is the most incredible gift to give and to receive as a human being. And we deserve to experience love fully, equally, without shame and without compromise.
The crowd stood and cheered. Watch her speech and try not to cry.
© 2013(S) FANdemonium Network. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
