Actress Ellen Page has claimed she was publicly outed at the age of 18 by film director Brett Ratner on the set of an X-Men movie.
The Juno star accused Ratner – who has recently faced unrelated accusations of sexual harassment or misconduct – of making a vulgar "homophobic" remark during an event with the cast and crew of X-Men: The Last Stand.
"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 realise she's gay,'" Page wrote.
"He was the film's director, Brett Ratner."
"He 'outed' me with no regard for my well-being, an act we all recognise as homophobic."
In a long Facebook post, Page claimed the director said degrading things to other actors, and condemned an "epidemic" of violence against women that shuns victims and celebrates the continuing careers of perpetrators.
The actress, also known for her role in Inception, said that at the time of Ratner's alleged remark "I was a young adult who had not yet come out to myself."
"This public, aggressive outing left me with long standing feelings of shame," Page said.
"Making someone feel ashamed of who they are is a cruel manipulation, designed to oppress and repress."
Ratner, who also directed, produced or financed blockbuster films including The Revenant and Rush Hour, was accused of misconduct by six women, including actress Olivia Munn, in a Los Angeles Times article earlier this month.
He has categorically denied the allegations detailed in the LA Times, and has not addressed Page's accusations.
As well as claims against Ratner, Page's post details what the actress claims were incidents of harassment, including sexual assault, which took place when she was 16.
She condemned what she called the disproportionate impact of sexual violence on vulnerable people "silenced by their economic circumstances", and praised gay and trans women of colour, like writer Audre Lorde and activist Marsha P Johnson, who have fought against oppression but remain relatively unknown.
Other celebrities were quick to express support for the 30-year-old Page after the publication of the post, with X-Men co-star Anna Paquin corroborating her account.
It comes weeks after allegations against film director Harvey Weinstein, as well as a #MeToo hashtag used by women to described experiences of sexual harassment, exposed a crisis of abuse spanning far beyond Hollywood.
Comedian Louis CK has been hit by allegations of misconduct by five women. He has admitted to the allegations and apologised.
In her post, Page called on "Hollywood to wake up and start taking some responsibility for how we all have played a role in this".
"This is a long awaited reckoning. It must be," she wrote.
"We've learned that the status quo perpetuates unfair, victimising behaviour to protect and perpetuate itself."
"I am grateful to anyone and everyone who speaks out against abuse and trauma they have suffered. You are breaking the silence. You are revolution."
Let's
