‘I’m transgender’, says actor Elliot Page
Elliot Page came out as transgender in a heartfelt social media post and now uses the pronoun, he/they
THE Umbrella Academy star said he "feels lucky" to be sharing the news with his followers but admitted that, while there was much joy, he was “scared of the invasiveness, the hate, the ‘jokes’ and of violence”.
He wrote: "Hi, friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot. I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life.
“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.”
And Page – who is married to dancer Emma Portner – has vowed to do all he can to “change the world for the better” for trans people who he said deal with “harassment, selfloathing, abuse” every day.
In a post on Twitter, he added: “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 criminalise trans health care 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. 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 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.”