Academy Award-nominated actress Ellen Page announced Friday at an LGBT youth conference in Las Vegas that she is gay.
“I am tired of hiding,” she said. “I’m tired of lying by omission.
“I’m here today because I am gay,” Page, 26, told the audience to a raucous standing ovation. “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.”
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Page, who won the hearts of moviegoers as the pregnant teenager in the 2007 film “Juno,” cited “football hero Michael Sam” and Laverne Cox from “Orange is the New Black” as two inspirations for her decision to come out publicly.
Page said she suffered for years because she was afraid to come out. She told the audience, “I’m standing here today, with all of you, on the other side of all that pain.”
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Page received an Oscar nomination for her performance in “Juno.” She also had major roles in “X-Men: The Last Stand” in 2006 and “Inception” in 2010.
The conference for counselors who work with teenagers who identify as LGBT was hosted by the Human Rights Campaign.
