Elliot Page, Halifax’s own Hollywood star, has shared that he is transgender.
The actor is known for his Oscar-nominated role in Juno, as well as Inception and most recently The Umbrella Academy.
He addressed his social media followers on Tuesday with a lengthy post, in which he shared he is trans, and that he uses the pronouns he or they.
“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,” Page wrote.
“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.”
Page describes ‘fragile’ joy
Page said he has been inspired by many in the trans community, and thanked them for their courage, generosity and working to make the world a more inclusive and compassionate place.
While Page said his joy is real, it is also “fragile.” Despite feeling profoundly happy and acknowledging his privilege, he is also scared of the invasiveness, the hate, the jokes and the violence.
He cites the Human Rights Campaign’s figure that nearly 40 trans people have been killed in the United States in 2020 alone, with the majority of those being trans women of colour.
“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,” Page wrote.
Outpouring of appreciation
The letter was met with an outpouring of appreciation on social media, with Canadian musicians Tegan and Sara tweeting that Page’s strength, bravery and activism is “truly special.”
The official Umbrella Academy and Netflix accounts also tweeted their support, saying they are “proud of our superhero,” in a nod to Page’s character Vanya on the popular show.
So proud of our superhero! WE LOVE YOU ELLIOT! Can’t wait to see you return in season 3! ???? ????
—@netflix
For years, Page has been one of the most visible queer actors in Hollywood since publicly coming out as gay in 2014 during an emotional speech at the Time to Thrive conference, an LGBTQ youth event.
He married New York dance teacher Emma Portner a few years ago, and the 2016 series Gaycation saw Page and Ian Daniel explore LGBTQ cultures around the world.
Page is also a passionate environmental activist, and made his directorial debut alongside Daniel with There’s Something in the Water, a documentary that screened at TIFF last year.
Inspired by a book of the same name by Dalhousie University professor Ingrid Waldron, the documentary takes on environmental racism — the way climate change disproportionately affects communities of colour — in Page’s home province of Nova Scotia.
Through this project, Page learned about the challenges people in Shelburne, N.S., had with contaminated wells. He pledged the money needed for a new community well in the south end of town, which the local council accepted in February.
