Ellen Page has accused X-Men director Brett Ratner of homophobic harassment.
The 30-year-old actress has claimed that the director “outed” her with a “homophobic” comment before she had chosen to make her sexuality public.
Brett allegedly made the comment while filming 2006 movie X Men: The Last Stand, and Ellen was just 18 years old at the time.
In a lengthy Facebook post, in which the actress condemns “abusers” in the entertainment industry, Ellen wrote, “‘You should f*** her to make her realize she’s gay.’ He said this about me during a cast and crew ‘meet and greet’ before we began filming, X Men: The Last Stand.”
“I was eighteen years old. He looked at a woman standing next to me, ten years my senior, pointed to me and said: ‘You should f*** her to make her realize she’s gay.’ He was the film’s director, Brett Ratner.
“I was a young adult who had not yet come out to myself. I knew I was gay, but did not know, so to speak. I felt violated when this happened. He ‘outed’ me with no regard for my well-being, an act we all recognize as homophobic.”
“We are all entitled to come into an awareness of our sexual orientation privately and on our own terms.”
“This public, aggressive outing left me with long standing feelings of shame, one of the most destructive results of homophobia. Making someone feel ashamed of who they are is a cruel manipulation, designed to oppress and repress,” she explained.
Shortly after, actress Anna Paquin, who also starred in X Men: The Last Stand, backed up Ellen’s claim by tweeting, “I was there when that comment was made. I stand with you.”
Ellen’s claims come just days after seven women came forward, accusing Brett Ratner of sexual misconduct.
Read Ellen’s full Facebook post here.