Elliot Page is known for starring in films like Juno, Inception, Whip It, and more, but this week he made headlines for his heartfelt appearance at the podium for the Human Rights Campaign’s Time to THRIVE conference. Page took this opportunity—before a group of people who work to ensure equality, honesty, and security for the LGBT community—to come out as gay, for the first time publicly. Page bravely put words to an experience so many LGBT youth have faced when he said, “I suffered for years because I was scared to be out. My spirit suffered. My mental health suffered. My relationships suffered. I’m standing here today with all of you on the other side of that pain.”
It’s known that LGB youth are four times as likely to attempt suicide, and nearly half of young transgender people have had suicidal thoughts. We hope public figures like Page and the work of groups like the Human Rights Campaign might help pave the way for a healthier and more understanding environment.
“There are too many kids out there suffering from bullying, rejection, or simply being mistreated because of who they are,” Page shared. “Too many dropouts. Too much abuse. Too many homeless. Too many suicides. You can change that, and you are changing that.”
You can watch the entire speech below.
Rosemary Williamson
well i am not a lesbian, i’m not gay and i am not a bisexual. i know who i am as a human being, and as a woman and a straight one at that… but i have to say, i could relate to so much of that speech… i feel like even though she was talking about being gay, i could relate to so many of the things she was talking about… just being treated like shit. i feel like she is one of the bravest people in the world, and i love that she made that speech because i know how freeing and amazing it feels to share your story. sometimes it’s hard to talk about things, because the world seems a frightening place to be yourself and people just want to be accepted… but the thing is, it’s not the people that are going through these struggles that need to shut up. it’s actually like; the world needs to change. well, people need to be made aware of more things. people shouldn’t feel afraid to be themselves… it’s so sad. watching her get all nervous and stuff was hard for me, i felt like crying for her because she is just literally telling the world who she is. she is so brave. she is telling people who she is, and she is so nervous about it… the world should not be a place where people are living in fear like that. i hope this changes things.