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Connect The Dots: Ellen Page Blames Mike Pence And Donald Trump For Jussie Smollett Attack

By Kristy Puchko | TV | February 1, 2019 |

By Kristy Puchko | TV | February 1, 2019 |


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Actress Ellen Page has been an activist for LGBTQIA rights since coming out in 2014 with a rousing speech at the Human Rights Campaign’s “Time To Thrive” conference. On her documentary TV series Gaycation, she traveled around the globe with cohost Ian Daniel, exploring the experiences of queer people in a wide range of locations and communities. Now, she’s taken the platform of an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to call out Donald Trump and Mike Pence for the homophobia their administration has promoted, “connect(ing) the dots” to the brutal hate crime committed against Black gay star Jussie Smollet.

Page appears on the talk show to promote her upcoming Netflix show, The Umbrella Academy. But things turn personal and political when she speaks to the struggle the queer community continues to face. She also speaks about environmental racism, how climate change is currently impacting “the most marginalized people.”

“We have a media that’s barely talking about (climate change),” Page says. “We have a media that’s saying it’s a debate whether or not what happened to Jussie Smollett is a hate crime. It’s absurd. This sh*t isn’t a debate.”

Page continued, fighting back tears:

“Sorry. I’m really fired up tonight. But it feels impossible not to feel this way right now with the president and the vice president, Mike Pence, who like wishes I couldn’t be married. Let’s just be clear. The vice president of America wishes I didn’t have the love with my wife. He wanted to ban that in Indiana. He believes in conversion therapy. He has hurt LGBTQ people so badly as the governor of Indiana. And I think the thing we need to know—and I hope my show Gaycation did this—is in terms of connecting the dots, in terms of what happened the other day to Jussie. I don’t know him personally. I send all of my love.

Connect the dots.

This is what happens. If you are in a position of power, and you hate people and you want to cause suffering to them, you go through the trouble. You spend your career trying to cause suffering, what do you think is going to happen? Kids are going to be abused. And they’re going to kill themselves. And people are going to be beaten on the street.

I have traveled the world, and I have met the most marginalized people you can be. I am lucky to have this time and the privilege to say this. This needs to f*cking stop.”

Amen.



Header Image Source: CBS