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Ellen Page is an unstoppable force when it comes to her LGBTQ activism. A year after publicly coming out, the actor traveled around the world exploring different LGBTQ cultures for her Viceland show, Gaycation. In 2015, she confronted then-presidential candidate Ted Cruz about how religious freedom can be used to discriminate against gay and trans people. Earlier this month, she passionately addressed Vice President Mike Pence's stance on gay marriage and conversion therapy — which she said contributes to hate crimes and abusive treatment towards LGBTQ youth — during an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. But speaking out about her sexual orientation wasn't always so easy. In a February 22 interview with Porter, the Juno star opened up about how Hollywood and the media made her feel terrified to come out early in her career, which in turn deeply affected her mental health.
“I was 20, I had just fallen in love for the first time with a woman, and I was still navigating my own stuff, while people were writing articles headlined: ‘Ellen Page’s sexuality sweepstake’. There was a tabloid magazine that I saw at every checkout, in every gas station, with a picture of me on the cover, and the question: ‘Is Ellen Page gay?’” she recounted. “It was very detrimental to my mental health.”
Ellen also discussed how people in the industry pressured her to keep her sexuality a secret, going so far as to "force" her to wear clothes she didn't feel comfortable in for the purpose of keeping up appearances. In 2017, she came forward about how X-Men director Brett Ratner allegedly sexually harassed and made homophobic remarks towards her when she was only 18 years old. "I remember being in my early 20s and really believing it was impossible for me to come out," she told Porter. "But, over time, with more representation, hearts and minds have been changed. It doesn’t happen quickly enough and it hasn’t happened enough, particularly for the most marginalized in the community. But things have got better."
Now, a little over five years since she first came out while giving a Valentine's Day speech at an LGBTQ youth conference, the 32-year-old is completely focused on doing everything she can to increase representation for her community. She plays Vanya, a young woman that is struggling to come to terms with her traumatic childhood while also living with anxiety and depression, on Netflix's The Umbrella Academy. Later this year, Ellen will also be starring in the Netflix mini-series adaptation of Tales of the City, which follows a community of queer, trans, and nonbinary friends in San Francisco. Ellen told Porter that Tales of the City is the most inclusive set she's ever been on, but she's already thinking about how she can do her part to create more content that accurately depicts the experiences of LGBTQ people — and given her advocacy and dedication, we can't wait to see what projects the future holds for the actor.
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Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Ellen Page Just Called Out the Homophobic Moment From Juno That Bothers Her
