Actress Ellen Page publicly came out as gay Friday evening, while giving a speech at Time to THRIVE, a national LGBTQ youth conference held in Las Vegas.
"I'm here today because I am gay," Page told the assembled crowd, which responded with a standing ovation and a long chorus of cheers.
"Whoo!" said Page, before continuing:
Originally Posted by :
"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'm tired of hiding and I'm 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 that pain."
Page is most famous for becoming pregnant by her awkward classmate Michael Cera, and for invading the dreams of a stranger alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, neither of which happened in real life, because she is an actress.
After her speech, the Human Rights Campaign, which organized the conference, congratulated Page on the front page of its website for "her brave decision to live openly and authentically." [Reply]
Originally Posted by Donger:
It is odd, especially when "I'm proud to be gay" is included. It really isn't much of an accomplishment.
So you don't think truly being proud of who you are, after growing up In a society that tells you you are not equal, you don't deserve the same rights we do, God hates you, you could,lose your family and friends, your career, you could be beaten and the perpetrators would barely be slapped on the wrists, you are told you are bad parents and the last goes on, if you are gay, isnt much of an accomplishment??? That takes a whole lot of mental strength and therapy to be proud of who you are when you are gay. To be proud is quite the accomplishment because the gays I know, have a lot of internal homophobia and addiction problems. Like drinking to kill the pain of not being "normal", and in the end, they kill themselves.
Maybe they say it out loud, so young gays can grow up Ina different environment, and hopefully become proud of who they are sooner than the old generation. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Carlota69:
So you don't think truly being proud of who you are, after growing up In a society that tells you you are not equal, you don't deserve the same rights we do, God hates you, you could,lose your family and friends, your career, you could be beaten and the perpetrators would barely be slapped on the wrists, you are told you are bad parents and the last goes on, if you are gay, isnt much of an accomplishment??? That takes a whole lot of mental strength and therapy to be proud of who you are when you are gay. To be proud is quite the accomplishment because the gays I know, have a lot of internal homophobia and addiction problems. Like drinking to kill the pain of not being "normal", and in the end, they kill themselves.
Maybe they say it out loud, so young gays can grow up Ina different environment, and hopefully become proud of who they are sooner than the old generation.
Like I said, it's not an accomplishment. It's just who they are. I can see some of the logic of being proud to announce their sexuality to the world (kind of), but not "I'm gay and I'm proud of it!"
Graduating from Harvard? Sure, that's an accomplishment.
Originally Posted by Donger:
Like I said, it's not an accomplishment. It's just who they are. I can see some of the logic of being proud to announce their sexuality to the world (kind of), but not "I'm gay and I'm proud of it!"
Graduating from Harvard? Sure, that's an accomplishment.
Winning a playoff game? Yes.
Getting a promotion at work.
You're looking at accomplishments as things you can touch, a degree, more money, a ring etc...but accomplishing happiness, being proud of yourself, and surviving the storm that follows because you risk losing many things, is also an accomplishment. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Donger:
And, they aren't equal and never will be.
And statements like that are part of the reason why it's an accomplishment for gays to be proud of who they are. When you say that, you are saying you are less than and unworthy. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Donger:
Like I said, it's not an accomplishment. It's just who they are. I can see some of the logic of being proud to announce their sexuality to the world (kind of), but not "I'm gay and I'm proud of it!"
Graduating from Harvard? Sure, that's an accomplishment.
Winning a playoff game? Yes.
Getting a promotion at work.
Exactly.
I would like to come out and say that I am straight.
Originally Posted by Donger:
Like I said, it's not an accomplishment. It's just who they are. I can see some of the logic of being proud to announce their sexuality to the world (kind of), but not "I'm gay and I'm proud of it!"
Graduating from Harvard? Sure, that's an accomplishment.
Winning a playoff game? Yes.
Getting a promotion at work.
"I'm proud of it" doesn't mean "I've accomplished something" in this context. It means "I'm not ashamed of the fact that I'm gay" and it's probably more about speaking to others who are afraid to come out and offering to be a role model for them than it is about anything self-focused. [Reply]
Originally Posted by patteeu:
"I'm proud of it" doesn't mean "I've accomplished something" in this context. It means "I'm not ashamed of the fact that I'm gay" and it's probably more about speaking to others who are afraid to come out and offering to be a role model for them than it is about anything self-focused.
While I'm not gay, I would imagine the so-called pride comes from acknowledging something you've spent so much of your life hiding. The embarrassment is gone, the guilt is gone, the self-recrimination is gone. You can just be you, finally, and it probably feels pretty fucking good.
As far as "equality" goes, I'm not sure what sexuality has to do with that, any more than race or gender. People are more than walking genitalia. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Carlota69:
You're looking at accomplishments as things you can touch, a degree, more money, a ring etc...but accomplishing happiness, being proud of yourself, and surviving the storm that follows because you risk losing many things, is also an accomplishment.
Again, I'm specifically talking about "I'm proud that I'm gay." [Reply]