'Juno' star Ellen Page comes out as gay

Canadian actress Ellen Page came out as gay during an LGBT conference, saying she's "tired of hiding" and "lying by omission." Page, 26 -- who was nominated for a best actress Oscar for "Juno" in 2007 -- spoke directly about her sexuality for the first time at Time to Thrive, an LGBT conference in Las Vegas designed to help LGBT youth, TMZ reported. "I am here today because I am gay ... and because maybe I can make a difference," she said. "I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission." Page was given two standing ovations by the crowd of about 600 school counselors, teachers and other attendees, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday. "I suffered for years because I was scared to be out," Page said. "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 all that pain. "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," she added. "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."