Ellen Page Opens Up About Being Pressured by Hollywood to Not Come Out as Gay

Ellen Page is featured in the latest issue of PorterEdit, out now.

Here’s what the 32-year-old actress had to say…

On being pressured by people in Hollywood to not come out as gay and to wear dresses and heels: “I was distinctly told, by people in the industry, when I started to become known: ‘People cannot know you’re gay.’ And I was pressured – forced, in many cases – to always wear dresses and heels for events and photo shoots… As if lesbians don’t wear dresses and heels. But I will never let anyone put me in anything I feel uncomfortable in ever again.”

On how media speculation about her sexuality 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?’ It was very detrimental to my mental health.”

On how society has become more accepting of the LGBTQ community – but there is still a lot of work to be done: “I remember being in my early 20s and really believing it was impossible for me to come out. 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.”

For more from Ellen, visit net-a-porter.com.