CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
Scroll To Top
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Photography by JUCO | Retouching by Anna Glen at Wet Noodle
The Moment: November 14, 1930: Marlene Dietrich stars in Morocco, featuring the actress's iconic tuxedo and Hollywood's first on-screen female-to-female kiss.
On Valentine's Day this year, Ellen Page came out publicly while giving a gorgeously eloquent speech at the Human Rights Campaign's Time to Thrive conference. It was an act that had been choreographed months in advance by Page, her representation, and HRC president Chad Griffin, who all wanted the revelation to have a more selfless impact than it would if Page were to "say it on Twitter," as she puts it when we meet at New York's Bowery Hotel. Before making the announcement that would leave her visibly exhaling in relief, Page offered an anecdote about a Web site that ran an article with a photo of her in sweatpants. The writer, Page explained, asked why such a beauty would insist on dressing that way. "Because I like to be comfortable," Page told the conference's enamored attendees.
Taking in the extent of Page's newfound comfort is invigorating. Beyond the no-fuss clothes she's wearing today (sneakers, a hoodie, and a cap), she's noticeably unburdened, and it all seems new for an actress who, despite her vigor on screen, has previously given off a shy vibe in public. "You just feel different in the world," says the 27-year-old Oscar nominee. "Once you've done something that you used to think was impossible, what could ever really scare you again? Even now, press is more enjoyable because I don't have to have certain conversations. For instance, I'm never going to have to have a conversation about a dress, or heels, ever again."
Netting a Best Actress nod at the age of 20 for Juno, Page was groomed early for the dress-and-heels, red carpet scene. But things were missing from it, including her first girlfriend, whom she'd met shortly before the film's release, but couldn't include in its glittering aftermath. "No one's ever been so direct as to say, 'You're gay, so we're gonna hide it,' " Page says. "But there's an unspoken thing going on. [People] believe it's the right thing to do for your career. They don't realize it's eroding your soul. It was eventually about me being like, Wait, why am I listening to that? At what point did I let those things become important?
For Page, a game-changing moment came not long ago, when she watched TV host (and fellow Canadian) George Stroumboulopoulos chat with Dan Savage, who voiced his steadfast opinion that coming out is a moral imperative. "The way he spoke of it left very little leeway, and it really stuck with me," Page says. "We all go through a journey and get where we need to be, but I really did start feeling guilty. I kind of felt like an asshole."
Sitting on Page's lap is a script for Freeheld, a feature-length adaptation of the acclaimed 2007 short, which chronicled the struggles of Laurel Hester and Stacie Andree, a real-life lesbian couple from New Jersey, who, when Hester was diagnosed with terminal cancer, were denied the right of Hester passing on her pension to Andree. Page, who's both co-producing the film and starring as Andree (Julianne Moore will play Hester), has been developing the project since she was 21.
"It's very direct in showing how discrimination against the LGBT community affects people," Page says. "There's no getting around the unfairness that happened here, and just how illogical and almost psychopathic it felt. And it's so exciting to get to do a love story with the sex that you actually fall for. I'm thrilled about it."
It's mostly serendipitous that Page came out in the same year Freeheld commenced production, but the movie has, naturally, impacted the way she's felt about how she presents herself. She's the latest in a new line of LGBT artists who come out after devoting themselves to meaningful, queer-themed projects, and if you want to label that a fashionable phenomenon, be her guest. "Even if it did become a trend, who cares, right?" Page says. "Let being yourself become a trend."
Photographed at Milk Studios, New York on September 19, 2014
Fashion Director: Grant Woolhead. Styling by Michael Cook. fashion assistant: taja whitted. Set Designer: Greg Garry. Hair: Rheanne White. Makeup: Hung Vanngo. Coat by Emporio Armani.
SLIDESHOW: See the Complete Out100 List
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
38 Male Celebs Who Did Full Frontal Scenes
November 17 2023 5:18 PM
These are all the celebrities Who came out as LGBTQ+ in 2023
December 31 2023 12:19 PM
These Pics Prove Maluma Has Always Been a Certified Daddy
October 20 2023 1:13 PM
32 LGBTQ+ Celebs You Can Follow on OnlyFans
October 25 2023 3:15 PM
26 actors who showed bare ass in movies & TV shows
February 28 2024 1:50 PM
16 Times Celebrity Men Had to Say They Weren't Gay
February 29 2024 1:19 PM
15 Unforgettable Gay Kissing Scenes From TV & Movies
February 14 2024 10:20 AM
13 Queens Who Quit or Retired From Drag After 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
November 24 2023 10:11 AM
40 steamy celebrity Calvin Klein ads we'll always be thirsty for
January 04 2024 10:54 AM
9 Movies to Watch If You Loved 'Red, White & Royal Blue'
September 21 2023 9:47 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Gay councilman resigns after drunken urination video & alleged assault
March 15 2024 5:22 PM
Zane Phillips would love to star in live-action 'Hercules' & we will be SEATED
March 15 2024 5:07 PM
The tragic death of trans teen Nex Benedict: everything you need to know
March 15 2024 3:59 PM
Gina Carano says Pedro Pascal tried to help her not get fired from 'The Mandalorian'
March 15 2024 1:54 PM
March 15, 2024
March 15 2024 12:03 PM
Fired 'X-Men '97' creator Beau DeMayo is seemingly back on social media
March 15 2024 11:23 AM
Hyperpop, punk, reggaeton: 5 genres we'd love to see Beyoncé conquer next
March 15 2024 10:58 AM
18 times the girls and the gays collaborated on perfect pop songs
March 15 2024 10:35 AM
Regina King gives a trailblazing political hero her flowers in Netflix's 'Shirley'
March 15 2024 10:17 AM
Is 'All of Us Strangers' ever going to get a Blu-ray & DVD release?
March 15 2024 10:02 AM
3/15/24 GLAAD Awards email
March 15 2024 10:00 AM
10 LGBTQ+ TV shows and movies coming out this spring
March 15 2024 9:50 AM
Out wins 2024 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Magazine
March 15 2024 1:05 AM
How I bring positivity and laughter online
March 14 2024 3:23 PM
All the celebrity LGBTQ+ couples who hard launched their relationships in 2024 (so far)
March 14 2024 12:25 PM