Ellen Page, 26 year-old star of Juno, announced to the world that she was a lesbian during an address at a Human Rights Conference in Las Vegas. She emotionally stated that she was 'tired of hiding and lying' about her sexuality, and hoped her coming out would help others do the same.
After the gay marriage campaigns of last year, and the recent legalisation in Scotland, I believed we lived in a more accepting society, where you didn't need to repress your true self to be accepted and to be successful. If we don't live in a society like this, why? Surely it's time something changed.
It seems odd to me that such a big deal is made of celebrities 'coming out' nowadays when the public image of homosexuality has undergone such a drastic transformation. Yes, with the Winter Olympics beaming into every household at the minute, and the very public anti-gay attitude in Sochi, you might call me ignorant. But in the Western world, famous faces who are known to be gay haven't lost their fame because of who they are attracted to.
Take Ellen DeGeneres, one of the biggest names on American television, who announced she was a lesbian in 1997. She didn't suddenly lose ratings and get cut off from the network, and 17 years on she's more successful than ever.
I'm not, by any means, claiming that the world is perfect and everyone is accepting. But I do think it's ridiculous that stars, and us normal folk too, still feel shame and embarrassment about their sexuality. Celebrity culture is already judgemental enough - what do they weigh? have they had a nose job? - they shouldn't feel judged about their sexuality too.
I'm really happy Ellen feels confident enough to announce her sexuality in such a public way, and I hope this will inspire others to do the same. The only way we're going to destroy this taboo once and for all, and 'normalise' homosexuality is if they have the confidence to show they're not ashamed of who they are.
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