Elliot Page, nominated in 2007 for a lead performance in Juno and currently starring in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, has announced that he’s transgender. In a note to over 3 million Instagram followers, Page broke the news:
“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 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.”
Page continued while sending out a message of support to trans people who have experienced harassment, including threats of violence:
“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.”
This statement follows Page’s advocacy on behalf of GLAAD and his condemnation of Vice President Mike Pence’s policies, which Page previously argued has contributed to the normalization of homophobia that leads to hate crimes like the one former Empire star Jussie Smollett was accused of staging in Chicago.
In a statement to Variety, GLAAD Director of Transgender Media, Nick Adams, declared, “Elliot Page has given us fantastic characters on-screen, and has been an outspoken advocate for all LGBTQ people. 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 favors the he/him and they/them pronouns, and as Variety notes, Page describes himself as non-binary (which means that Page’s gender identity is neither man nor woman). Read the rest of Elliot’s Instagram statement below:
(Via Variety)