Ellen Page has come out as gay.

The "Juno" actress made the announcement in a speech at Time to THRIVE, a national conference encouraging the "safety, inclusion and well-being for LGBTQ youth."

In what The Hollywood Reporter, described as a "moving and deeply" address to the audience at Bally's Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, the actress said she considered it her "social responsibility" to come out as a lesbian.

"I'm here today because I am gay. And because maybe I can make a difference," Page said. "Regardless, for me, I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility.

"I also do it selfishly, because I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission. I suffered for years because I was scared to be out. 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. I am young, yes, but what I have learned is that love, the beauty of it, the joy of it and yes, even the pain of it, is the most incredible gift to give and to receive as a human being. And we deserve to experience love fully, equally, without shame and without compromise."

Page went on to talk about the "crushing" pressure from Hollywood to fit into its definitions of what is feminine, what is masculine. She recalled reading a tabloid article that asked why she insisted on "dressing like a massive man."

"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," she said. "Not just young people, but everyone. 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."

The "Inception" star also used her speech to address the bullying and discrimination that so many LGBT kids undergo, insisting, "this world would be a whole lot better if we just made an effort to be less horrible to one another."

"I know there are people in this room who go to school every day and get treated like shit for no reason. Or you go home and you feel like you can't tell your parents the whole truth about yourself. Beyond putting yourself in one box or another, you worry about the future. About college or work or even your physical safety. Trying to create that mental picture of your life--of what on earth is going to happen to you--can crush you a little bit every day. It is toxic and painful and deeply unfair."