A MOVING 'GAYCATION' AS ELLEN PAGE VISITS ORLANDO

Actress Ellen Page and Ian Daniel, who doubles as best friend and co-host of Gaycation, return to television this month with a powerful special episode featuring a survivor’s harrowing story of escaping Pulse, and how another buried friends.

The Emmy-nominated reality series has taken viewers around the world to see LGBTQ cultures, but the visit to Orlando, Fla. that will air August 24 packs a very personal punch that is evident even in just the few scenes released so far.

“Losing so many at once, it’s almost impossible to deal with,” one woman told Page and Daniel. Their aim with this Viceland special is to shed some light on the community that was so viciously devastated, and reveal how the seeds of love are building-up that community, both LGBTQ and beyond.

Watch the trailer for the upcoming episode of Gaycation, premiering as a Viceland special on August 24:

SOURCE: GAY STAR NEWS

ELLEN PAGE ATTENDED JAMAICA'S FIRST EVER PRIDE

Out actress Ellen Page was on hand to celebrate Jamaica’s first ever pride festival, which included a flash mob but not a parade due to security concerns in the notoriously homophobic island-nation.

J-FLAG, Jamaica’s foremost LGBT rights organization, scheduled a series of Pride events to coincide with  the 53rd anniversary of Jamaica’s independence from the UK.

However, since Jamaica is one of over 75 countries where homosexuality is illegal, J-FLAG decided not to have a parade and kept the location of the flash mob a secret.

Still, in a rare show of solidarity with the LGBT community, the mayor of the country’s capital, Kingston, was scheduled to speak at the Pride event’s opening ceremony on Saturday.

“I come from the point of view that I, as mayor, have a responsibility to all the individuals of Kingston,” Mayor Angela Brown-Burke told the Washington Blade. “There are individuals who are minorities who have been struggling in terms of their identity and finding their own space. It is important for us to provide safe spaces for them.”

The LGBT community in Jamaica often faces violence and persecution, with homosexual acts between men carrying a penalty of up to ten years in prison.

Page, who came out as a lesbian last year, is making good on her hope of making a difference by shining a social media light on Jamaica’s groundbreaking Pride celebration.

Page also shared a pic of the Pride flash mob —  though a far cry from the bigger, flashier celebrations around the world — some 40 Jamaican LGBTs made their presence and their pride known.

SOURCE: QUEERTY

ELLEN PAGE ON COMING OUT GAY: BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE

Actress Ellen Page recently said that coming out gay was the best decision of her life.

The 27-year-old Page announced she's gay last year on Valentine's Day during a speech delivered at Time to THRIVE, an LGBT youth conference hosted by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and held at Bally's Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Page (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Juno), who is in Rio to celebrate Carnaval, was asked about coming out by a Brazilian reporter.

“[I decided to come out] because I was sad,” Page said. “I felt uninspired. I was uncomfortable. It hurt relationships. I felt guilty for not being out. And it was just time. It's the best decision I ever made. I immediately felt like a new person.”

“You just feel lighter in your life,” she added.

When asked if she was dating, Page answered, “No comment.”

SOURCE: ON TOP MAG

ELLEN PAGE: COMING OUT ERASED 'ALL THIS TOXICITY, WORRY, BAGGAGE I WAS CARRYING'

Actress Ellen Page has said her anxiety over coming out was unjustified.

The 27-year-old Page announced she's gay on Valentine's Day during a speech delivered at Time to THRIVE, an LGBT youth conference hosted by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and held at Bally's Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Appearing Wednesday on Good Morning America to promote her current film, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Page was asked about the response to her coming out.

“The reaction [to coming out has] been really beautiful and I think it’s been so beautiful because, to me, it’s so indicative of the change that’s happened and how society has evolved,” Page said.

“And I couldn’t be more grateful for just the support I’ve had. And quite frankly for me, it was just pretty immediate. And I felt like all this toxicity and worry and baggage that I was carrying, just sort of vanished. I don’t think I could even have anticipated how happy I feel,” she added. 

SOURCE: ON TOP MAG

IN APPLAUDING ELLEN PAGE'S COMING OUT, NOVELIST ANNE RICE TAKES ON FACEBOOK 'HATE SPEECH'

After best-selling author Anne Rice took to Facebook over the weekend to applaud the courage of actress Ellen Page for coming out publicly as a lesbian, the hate started pouring in.

Rice, whose book Interview With a Vampire was made into a film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, decided to take on the flood of hate speech with a message on her fan page making clear she had heard enough.

'I will no longer tolerate hate speech in the guise of Christian belief with the usual irresponsible pick and choose bible quotes and talk of “sin” and hellfire,' she wrote. 'I have had enough of it, and I think the world has had enough of it too.'

Rice, 72, has sold nearly 100 million books in her career and her son, best-selling novelist Christopher Rice, is gay. Her son was among the more than 25,000 people who clicked 'Like' to Rice's post.

She also wrote: 'I commend Ellen Page for her bravery in coming out. I hope more celebrities and public figures will be inspired to do so. Anyone who thinks this does not matter is deceiving himself or herself. It matters very much. Gay people in all walks of life suffer from bigotry, bias, superstition, and ignorance.'

Rice also had a message for the many people who take the to comment on a topic such as this and state that they 'don't care.'

'Please do NOT come here to tell us publicly that you “don’t care,"' Rice wrote. 'If you don’t care, don’t expect us to care that you don’t care!'

On Monday (17 February), Rice engaged with some of her followers who had been put off and the debate raged on.

The author seemed willing to engage reasonable debate but reiterated that she would ban anyone from her page who engaged in hate speech.

SOURCE: GAY STAR NEWS

ACTRESS ELLEN PAGE COMES OUT AS GAY

Academy Award-nominated actress Ellen Page announced Friday at an LGBT youth conference in Las Vegas that she is gay.

“I am tired of hiding,” she said. “I’m tired of lying by omission.

“I’m here today because I am gay,” Page, 26, told the audience to a raucous standing ovation. “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.”

Page cited “football hero Michael Sam” and Laverne Cox from “Orange is the New Black” as two inspirations for her decision to come out publicly.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” an emotional Page concluded her eight-minute long speech. “I love you.”

Watch:

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION