The Oscar-nominated Umbrella Academy actor Elliot Page known for his roles in Juno and Inception has come out as transgender today announcing their name will be Elliot moving forward and he prefers ‘he/they’ pronouns. Posting a letter on Twitter, Elliot opened up about how he feels both joyous and fragile announcing the news knowing how invasive the public can be towards trans people.
‘I feel lucky to be writing this,’ Elliot began. ‘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.’
Stating that he was inspired by the trans community, Elliot commended courage and tireless work of so many to make the world more inclusive enough for people like him to come out. But as Elliot said himself, it’s unlikely to be an easy road given the torrents of abuse trans people receive – online and in person.
‘The truth is, despite feeling profoundly happy right now and knowing how much privilege I carry, I am also scared,’ Elliot continued ‘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.”
Pointing to the statistics on discrimination against trans people, Elliot condemned politicians who ‘work to criminalize trans health care and deny our right to exist’. ‘You have blood on your hands,’ he said. ‘You aren’t being “cancelled”, you are hurting people.’
Finishing his emotional letter with a nod of solidarity to other trans people, he said ‘I love that I am trans and I love that I am queer.’
The post has already received over 60,000 likes and near 25,000 shares as people react to the news. Unsurprisingly, many online have already taken to deadnaming Elliot (purposefully using the name he no longer identifies with to attack him). But as we all take stock of his vitally important words, it’s important to fight that hate with support and love for Elliot’s bravery to come out despite the abuse that will undoubtedly come with it.
So if you can share one thing today, share support for Elliot Page.
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