Ellen Page reveals she is a lesbian

[ASTalumna06]

Good for her!

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/...lesbian-n31091

“I suffered for years because I was scared to be out,” she said during the Las Vegas meeting for counselors who work with teenagers who identify as lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual or queer. “My spirit suffered, my mental health suffered and my relationship suffered.”

“We deserve to experience love fully equally without shame and without compromise. There are too many kids out there suffering from bullying, rejection or simply being mistreated because of who they are,” the 26-year-old said. “Too many dropouts, too much abuse, too many homeless, too many suicides.”

I hope that very soon, we can all learn to love, and at the very least, accept and respect each other.

[SoCalGirl]

Ever since Juno there's been wide spread rumors of her being gay. It's not exactly shocking.

[DrPhil]

This isn't about being "shocking." This is about people (celebs and noncelebs) not being forced to hide themselves in a heterocentric world.

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

I hope that very soon, we can all learn to love, and at the very least, accept and respect each other.

We can't force acceptance and respect but we (through social dynamics, policies, and laws) can tell heterosexual naysayers that their viewpoints can no longer silence and oppress other people.

Reverend Al Sharpton's brilliant self was on a show I was watching. I can't find a link to the show but here's one of Reverend Sharpton's much needed articles:
http://thegrio.com/2013/03/27/rev-al...udes-everyone/

(read the comments section of the above article )

[DubaiSis]

I heard on the news "Ellen Page has big announcement" or something equally as annoying for a teaser. I knew immediately what the big surprise was gonna be and my first thought was, and in other news, water is wet and it's dark at night.

But I do try to be supportive. On one hand I feel like we seriously have moved beyond this and we don't need to know every single celebrity's sexual orientation. It doesn't impact my perception or acceptance of an actor or athlete's talent. But I do accept that these moments of famous people outing themselves gives a little boost of hope for those teenagers who are thinking about committing suicide because they can't bear the thought of living the rest of their lives as they are currently living.

I did notice in the Olympics, with the discussion of gay athletes and all the Russian hubbub that the figure skaters have stayed completely out of it. At least one of the male skaters is straight and I only know that because in a completely separate issue it was mentioned that the ice dancer's girlfriend is competing or something. That was the full extent of the discussion. It easily could have been news that we actually have a straight skater. Or him feeling defensive or needing to prove to the world that he's straight. Now, if his girlfriend is in the stands for his performance tonight, it will probably be brought up. The NBC figure skating commentators are terrible and will probably make an issue of it. I'm WAY preferring Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinsky on NBC Sports Network. They are more fun to listen to, more insightful and way less schmaltz. But that's a different discussion...

[DrPhil]

Can I ask how some of you already knew Ellen Page is a lesbian?

[whiteviolet]

If you haven't already, listen to her speech. It's beautiful. She doesn't even mention her own sexuality until around the 6 minute mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTAjZxTyAQI

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

I heard on the news "Ellen Page has big announcement" or something equally as annoying for a teaser. I knew immediately what the big surprise was gonna be and my first thought was, and in other news, water is wet and it's dark at night.

But I do try to be supportive. On one hand I feel like we seriously have moved beyond this and we don't need to know every single celebrity's sexual orientation. It doesn't impact my perception or acceptance of an actor or athlete's talent. But I do accept that these moments of famous people outing themselves gives a little boost of hope for those teenagers who are thinking about committing suicide because they can't bear the thought of living the rest of their lives as they are currently living.

I did notice in the Olympics, with the discussion of gay athletes and all the Russian hubbub that the figure skaters have stayed completely out of it. At least one of the male skaters is straight and I only know that because in a completely separate issue it was mentioned that the ice dancer's girlfriend is competing or something. That was the full extent of the discussion. It easily could have been news that we actually have a straight skater. Or him feeling defensive or needing to prove to the world that he's straight. Now, if his girlfriend is in the stands for his performance tonight, it will probably be brought up. The NBC figure skating commentators are terrible and will probably make an issue of it. I'm WAY preferring Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinsky on NBC Sports Network. They are more fun to listen to, more insightful and way less schmaltz. But that's a different discussion...

Gay people come out for themselves. And for someone in the spotlight, they, whether they like it or not, come out for other people. They are seen as an advocate, a defense, another person to add to a long list of strong people who not only announced to their friends and family that they're gay, but to the world.

And what do you suppose would happen if (prior to her giving this speech) Ellen Page was seen walking down the street hand-in-hand with a woman? Or if (prior to his coming out) Michael Sam invited the same guy to watch him in every game and practice? It would be blasted all over the news and every social media site, and the whole country would be talking about it.

I think by Page announcing it, she's actually made it a non-issue.

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Can I ask how some of you already knew Ellen Page is a lesbian?

I have no clue. But I also don't pay attention to celebrities' lives unless a story ends up in a major national news source (like this story did), so maybe she's alluded to it before?

Originally Posted by Jen

She isn't coming out for straight people. Her coming out is meant to help both herself and hopefully those still struggling. It doesn't matter if a straight person wants to know or not - it matters that someone struggling with coming out or their own sexuality has people in the public eye to look towards. It matters that people see and know gay people are part of society. Until coming out and being gay is a process with little possibility of retribution from society, it will be necessary.

This.

[DrPhil]

I was hoping the people who claim this is a "duh moment" would tell us why this is a "duh moment."

[DubaiSis]

I just already assumed she was gay. I can't explain gaydar, but it's there. I can give you some symptoms, but they wouldn't define her gayness. I can say she always seems to look uncomfortable in girly clothes and seems to have a kind of butch presence about herself. Does that make her gay? No. But it made me assume she is. If she got married, had a baby, or other things that would seem to mean she's straight, I'd have said who knew? But it's no skin off my arse in any case.

I do think that once you are a known entity by people who don't know you, MANY areas of your life are open to retribution. "Come Out" as a Democrat, Republican, Vegetarian, dog lover, gas guzzler or hybrid driver, religious/unreligious, many people will pick sides and choose to love you or hate you as a result. I personally put gay/straight in these same categories. Some people will choose to love or hate you on that simple point of your entire person, but not worse than being a Republican in Hollywood. We can hope that people won't be all militant about it, but assuming that anything you say or do in public won't cause them to boycott you at the drop of a hat - not gonna happen.

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

I was hoping the people who claim this is a "duh moment" would tell us why this is a "duh moment."

I don't know if I would exactly call it a "duh moment," but one of my guilty pleasures is reading Hollywood gossip blogs, and her being a lesbian has been alluded to in those circles for the past couple of years. Therefore, I was not surprised that she came out. For me, it was more along the lines of "good for her."

[LXA SE285]

I don't know if I would exactly call it a "duh moment," but one of my guilty pleasures is reading Hollywood gossip blogs, and her being a lesbian has been alluded to in those circles for the past couple of years.

Yep. DataLounge, my favorite gossip board, has been saying so for as long as she's been in the spotlight.

[tuco99]

Hollywood is actually homophobic. That is why entertainers usually wait until they are millionaires before they come out of the closet.

[tuco99]

That leaves Kevin Spacey, Levarr Burton, Hal Holbrook, Hugh Heffner, Magic Johnson, John Travolta and Isiah Thomas.

[Psi U MC Vito]

There is also a big assumption that a celebrity is gay if he or she isn't known to be in a relation with somebody of the opposite gender, and it's very very difficult for them to keep private relationships actually private. I like the context in which she came out especially. She was speaking as a young lesbian at an event for young gays and lesbians.

[DrPhil]

tuco99, what in the orca are you talking about in your second post?