Juno star’s trans news ‘a watershed’
LGBTQ community welcomes Elliot Page’s social media announcement
Oscar-nominated actor Elliot Page, formerly known as Ellen Page, has come out as transgender in an announcement greeted as a watershed moment for the trans community in Hollywood.
“I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer,” Page, the star of Juno, Inception and The Umbrella Academy, said on social media.
The 33-year-old actor from Nova Scotia, said his decision to come out as trans, which also involved changing his first name, came after a long journey and with much support from the LGBTQ community.
“I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self,” Page wrote. “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.”
“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,” added Page, who said his pronouns are “he” and “they”.
Page signed his statement with the words, “All my love, Elliot”.
The announcement was celebrated widely on social media by LGBTQ rights advocates and many in the film industry. Netflix, maker of the comic book series The Umbrella Academy, said, “So proud of our superhero! We love you Elliot!”
“Elliot Page has given us fantastic characters on-screen, and has been an outspoken advocate for all LGBTQ people,” said Nick Adams, GLAAD’s director of Transgender Media. “He will now be an inspiration to countless trans and non-binary people. All transgender people deserve the chance to be ourselves and to be accepted for who we are. We celebrate the remarkable Elliot Page today.”
Page broke out in Jason Reitman’s 2007 film Juno in a performance as a pregnant teenager that earned him an Academy Award nomination.
Page has frequently worked to bring the lives of LGBTQ characters to screen, including the 2015 film Freeheld, about a dying New Jersey police detective who had been denied pension benefits.
Last year, he made his directorial debut with There’s Something in the Water, about environmental damage on Black and First Nations communities in Nova Scotia.