ENGLISH SPEECH ELLIOT PAGE Accept Yourself English Subtitles
It’s such an honor to be here at the inaugural
Time to THRIVE conference.
But it’s a little weird, too.
Here I am, in this room because of an organization
whose work I deeply admire.
And I’m surrounded by people who make it
their life’s work to make other people’s
lives better — profoundly better.
Some of you teach young people.
Some of you help young people heal and to
find their voice.
Some of you listen.
Some of you take action.
Some of you are young people yourselves…
in which case, it’s even weirder for a person
like me to be speaking to you.
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.
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.
But that’s why I’m here.
In this room, all of you, all of us, can do
so much more together than any one person
can do alone.
And I hope that thought bolsters you as much
as it does me.
I hope the workshops you’ll go to over the
next few days give you strength.
Because I can only imagine that there are
days — when you’ve worked longer hours
than your boss realizes or cares about, just
to help a kid who you know can make it.
Days where you feel completely alone.
Undermined.
Or hopeless.
I know there are people in this room who go
to school every day and get treated like shit
for no reason.
Or you go home and you feel like you can’t
tell your parents the whole truth about yourself.
Beyond putting yourself in one box or another,
you worry about the future.
About college or work or even your physical
safety.
Trying to create that mental picture of your
life — of what on earth is going to happen
to you — can crush you a little bit every
day.
It is toxic and painful and deeply unfair.
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?”
Because I like to be comfortable.
There are pervasive stereotypes about masculinity
and femininity that define how we are all
supposed to act, dress and speak.
They serve no one.
Anyone who defies these so-called ‘norms’
becomes worthy of comment and scrutiny.
The LGBT community knows this all too well.
Yet there is courage all around us.
The football hero, Michael Sam.
The actress, Laverne Cox.
The musicians Tegan and Sara Quinn.
The family that supports their daughter or
son who has come out.
And there is courage in this room.
All of you.
I’m inspired to be in this room because
every single one of you is here for the same
reason.
You’re here because you’ve adopted as
a core motivation the simple fact that this
world would be a whole lot better if we just
made an effort to be less horrible to one
another.
If we took just 5 minutes to recognize each
other’s beauty, instead of attacking each
other for our differences.
That’s not hard.
It’s really an easier and better way to
live.
And ultimately, it saves lives.
Then again, it’s not easy at all.
It can be the hardest thing, because loving
other people starts with loving ourselves
and accepting ourselves.
I know many of you have struggled with this.
I draw upon your strength and your support,
and have, in ways you will never know.
I’m here today because I am gay.
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.
I also do it selfishly, because I am tired
of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission.
I suffered for years because I was scared
to be out.
My spirit suffered, my mental health suffered
and my relationships suffered.
And I’m standing here today, with all of
you, on the other side of that pain.
I am young, yes, but what I have learned is
that love, the beauty of it, the joy of it
and yes, even the pain of it, is the most
incredible gift to give and to receive as
a human being.
And we deserve to experience love fully, equally,
without shame and without compromise.
There are too many kids out there suffering
from bullying, rejection, or simply being
mistreated because of who they are.
Too many dropouts.
Too much abuse.
Too many homeless.
Too many suicides.
You can change that and you are changing it.
But you never needed me to tell you that.
That’s why this was a little bit weird.
The only thing I can really say is what I’ve
been building up to for the past 5 minutes.
Thank you.
Thank you for inspiring me.
Thank you for giving me hope, and please keep
changing the world for people like me.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
I love you.