“Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot.”
The Oscar-nominated star of Juno has come out as transgender, introducing himself as Elliot Page on Tuesday in social media posts that voiced joy at sharing the news — but also fear over a possible backlash. “I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer,” wrote the Canadian-born performer formerly known as Ellen Page, who has recently starred in Netflix superhero series The Umbrella Academy.
He wrote: “I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life. I feel overwhelming gratitude for the incredible people who have supported me along this journey. I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self. I’ve been endlessly inspired by so many in the trans community. Thank you for your courage, your generosity and ceaselessly working to make this world a more inclusive and compassionate place. I will offer whatever support I can and continue to strive for a more loving and equal society.
The actor also feared the backlash of coming out and highlighted the systematic hurdles lesser privileged people must struggle with to do the same. “I also ask for patience. My joy is real, but it is also fragile. The truth is, despite feeling profoundly happy right now and knowing how much privilege I carry, I am also scared. I’m scared of the invasiveness, the hate, the “jokes” and of violence. To be clear, I am not trying to dampen a moment that is joyous and one that I celebrate, but I want to address the full picture.”
“The statistics are staggering. The discrimination towards trans people is rife, insidious and cruel, resulting in horrific consequences. In 2020 alone it has been reported that at least 40 transgender people have been murdered, the majority of which were Black and Latinx trans women.”
“To the political leaders who work to criminalize trans healthcare and deny our right to exist and to all of those with a massive platform who continue to spew hostility towards the trans community: you have blood on your hands. You unleash a fury of vile and demeaning rage that lands on the shoulders of the trans community, a community in which 40% of trans adults report attempting suicide. Enough is enough. You aren’t being “cancelled,” you are hurting people. I am one of those people and we won’t be silent in the face of your attacks.”
Page concluded: “I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer. And the more I hold myself close and fully embrace who I am, the more I dream, the more my heart grows and the more I thrive. To all the trans people who deal with harassment, self-loathing, abuse, and the threat of violence every day: I see you, I love you, and I will do everything I can to change this world for the better.”
Elliot Page, 33, rose to fame in Hollywood as the lead in teen pregnancy comedy Juno (2007) which earned him an Oscar nomination. The actor also appeared in the 2010 science fiction hit Christopher Nolan’s Inception opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, and the 2012 Woody Allen comedy To Rome with Love. Other key films include Drew Barrymore’s Whip It, a recurring role as Kitty Pryde in the X-Men series, and more recently, Page played Vanya Hargreeves in Netflix series The Umbrella Academy (since 2019).
Netflix tweeted: “So proud of our superhero! We love you Elliot!”
Page came out as gay in a speech on Valentine’s Day 2014 and two years later alleged that the film-maker Brett Ratner had outed him against his will aged 18 on the set of X-Men: The Last Stand – an allegation corroborated by the actor Anna Paquin, who was present at the time. Page has been a vocal advocate for LGBT rights over the past decade and in January 2018 married the dancer and choreographer Emma Portner.
“This is slightly different, because it’s not representation in a story or in a character, but it’s representation in a human being and their own story,” Chris Bright, director of public training at The Trevor Project, told USA TODAY. “And to have somebody saying, ‘This is my truth. This is my story,’ means the world for a lot of trans and nonbinary youth who are struggling to find those role models and struggling to find people who identify in similar ways to them.”
Bright also noted that, while celebrities coming out can encourage trans youth, it is still very difficult for them to publicly come out as trans. “While I think role models are really important, and they can lay a blueprint or a road map for us, we also have to acknowledge that it’s up to each individual to figure out what is safest and what makes the most sense in their individual situation,” Bright said. He is also nonbinary. “Unfortunately, for some trans and nonbinary youth, their families are not accepting of them, or their schools or their friend groups, and it might not be safe in that moment to come out.”