Ellen Page Comes Out in an Emotional, Poignant Speech

Actress Ellen Page, best known for her Oscar-nominated turn in the delightful indie “Juno,” is finally letting everyone know she is gay.

Attending the inaugural conference for the Human Rights Campaign, Page said, “I'm here today because I am gay, and because maybe I can make a difference.”

The organization is comprised of educators and counselors who are devoted to issues faced by children and teenagers who identify as lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual or queer.

The 26-year-old continued, “I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility. I also do it selfishly, because I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission.”

With tears occasionally filling her eyes, Page, whose sexuality has been the subject of gossip and speculation for years, spoke about being scared to come out and how her particular line of work holds some ridiculous standards.

"It's weird because here I am, an actress, representing -- at least in some sense -- an industry that places crushing standards on all of us. Not just young people, but everyone," she said. "Standards of beauty. Of a good life. Of success. Standards that, I hate to admit, have affected me. You have ideas planted in your head, thoughts you never had before, that tell you how you have to act, how you have to dress and who you have to be. I have been trying to push back, to be authentic, to follow my heart, but it can be hard."

She added, "Sometimes it's the little, insignificant stuff that can tear you down. I try not to read gossip as a rule, but the other day a website ran an article with a picture of me wearing sweatpants on the way to the gym. The writer asked, 'Why does [this] petite beauty insist upon dressing like a massive man?'"