Canadian actor Elliot Page posted a letter to Instagram where he came out as transgender and spoke up about transphobia
On Dec. 1, Elliot Page took to Instagram and posted a letter explaining that he is transgender and uses he/they pronouns.
“I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life,” said Page in his letter.
Born in Halifax, Page started his journey to Hollywood in 1997 when he starred in Pit Pony, a CBC film and television series. After several other roles in cinema, he achieved critical acclaim for his leading role in the 2005 movie Hard Candy. From then on, Page would star in many other hit films like Juno and Inception.
Most recently he has starred in the Netflix series Umbrella Academy as character Vanya Hargreeves, one of the superpowered protagonists with the ability to convert sound into energy.
Netflix posted their support for Page on Twitter, saying “So proud of our superhero! WE LOVE YOU ELLIOT! Can’t wait to see you return in season 3!”
“I feel overwhelming gratitude for the incredible people who have supported me along this journey,” wrote Page. “I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self.”
Along with the outpouring of support from fans, Page uses his letter to acknowledge the “fragility” of his joy due to the real dangers faced by trans folks.
“To be clear, I am not trying to dampen a moment that is joyous and one that I celebrate,” said Page. “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.”
Specifically, Page states that at least 40 transgender individuals have been murdered in 2020 alone. Further, most of these individuals were Black and Latinx trans women. He follows this statement with a message to transphobic political leaders: “you have blood on your hands.”
While Page doesn’t give names, the message may be partly in response to the Trump administration eliminating an Obama-era regulation this past June which protected trans patients against healthcare discrimination.
“You unleash a fury of vile and demeaning rage that lands on the shoulders on the trans community, a community in which 40 per cent of trans adults report attempting suicide,” wrote Page.
“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.”
These sentiments are ones that are shared throughout the trans community. Nik Basset, education coordinator at the Youth Project in Halifax, told CBC News that they are “so excited for somebody to be moving into their authentic selves” and are “really proud of Elliot.”
They went on to acknowledge that “the courage it takes to come out and advocate for your identity is a really hard thing to do,” mentioning misgendering and deadnaming as just a few things that can be harmful to a trans person.
“I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer,” said Page. “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.”
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