Actress Ellen Page came out as gay on Friday in a Human Rights Campaign Foundation event speech in Las Vegas; the internet promptly blew-up with tons of support and millions of views.
Fewer than 24 hours later, Page’s acknowledgment — which earned her an extended standing ovation — is nearing two million views on the official YouTube HRC channel. At the time of this writing, the view count was just below 1.75 million.
It is impossible to calculate the total number of views of unofficial video, but it is safe to assume that if that were doable, the 1.75 million number would be significantly larger.
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The HRC Foundation’s conference promoting safety, inclusion and well-being for LGBTQ youth kicked off last night on Valentine’s Day. The conference is intended to engage a broad audience of youth-serving professionals, including K-12 educators, mental health providers, pediatricians, religious leaders, recreational athletic coaches, and youth development staff at places like Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCAs, according to the official Tumblr page.
“Time to Thrive provides a ‘one-stop-shop’ opportunity for these professionals to build awareness and cultural competency, learn current and emerging best practices, and gather resources from leading experts and national organizations in the field,” the website says. Chelsea Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, will speak at Time to Thrive on Sunday.
Watch Page’s moving 8-minute, 37-second speech:
