Oscar-nominated star Juno has announced that he is transgender, introducing himself as Elliot Page on social media, Twitter.
The Canadian actor who was formerly known as Ellen Page, said he would not “begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self”.
Elliot’s Statement
“I love that I’m trans. And I love that I’m queer,” she wrote on Twitter.
Page also used the post to deal with discrimination against the trans community and the LGTBTQ Community as a whole.
“The truth is, even though I feel very happy right now and I know how many rights I have, I’m scared. I’m afraid of attacks, hatred, ‘jokes’ and violence,” the 33-year-old artist said on social media.
“To be clear, I’m not trying to defuse a happy moment with the one I’m celebrating, but I want to look at the full picture. The statistics are staggering.”
Speaking to the Trans community, Page said he would “do everything in his power to change this world for the better”.
Page’s Performances
The page has gained worldwide acclaim for its role as a teenage pregnant woman in the 2007 film Juno.
Other major films include Inception and the X-Men series, and the actor recently starred in the Netflix drama series The Umbrella Academy.
Ellen Page (former) came out as homosexual (gay) in 2014, telling an audience in Las Vegas: “I’m tired of hiding and I’m tired of lying about leaving something.”
LGBT Activism
The actress, who is married to dance producer and choreographer Emma Portner, has been a prominent LGBT rights activist.
Trans people across the UK have told that Elliot Page’s announcement came at a “much-needed” time.
The news, from one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, now one of the world’s most famous transgender stars, took place on a major trans rights day in the UK.
Today, a legal case about puberty-blocking drugs concluded, with leading charities calling it a “rolling back” of trans rights, and “a catastrophic moment” for trans people.
In an Elliot Page statement, he outlined how he would now fight for better health care for trans community.
Since Elliot came out as gay in 2014, Page has been known as one of Hollywood’s most talked about LGBT characters. In his viral and populat talk in 2014, he said “I’ve suffered for years because I was afraid to go out… And I’m standing here today, along with all of you, on the other side of all that pain.”
Today’s announcement has created another wave of global support.
Reactions
“Elliot Page has given us fantastic characters on-screen, and has been an outspoken advocate for all LGBTQ people,” said Nick Adams, director of transgender media at advocacy group GLAAD.
“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.”
“So proud of our superhero,” Netflix wrote on Twitter.
