Elliot Page shares touching words of advice for trans people going through tough times
Elliot Page has joined calls for the Supreme Court to reject Tennessee’s gender-affirming care ban. (Getty Images)
Trans icon Elliot Page has offered some moving words of solidarity with trans people everywhere who are going through “tough times”.
Elliot Page made waves with their candid memoir Pageboy, released earlier this month, which revealed shocking stories including secret affairs with Juno co-star Olivia Thirlby and My Days of Mercy co-lead Kate Mara, a Hollywood actor who threatened to rape him, and his troubling experience on the Inception set among a cast “full of cis men”.
The 30-year-old actor came out as a trans man in December 2020 in a heartfelt Instagram post which has racked up 3.5 million likes and cemented his legacy as an inspiration to trans people everywhere.
Since then, he has unapologetically showcased his trans joy from updating his passport photo to reflect his true self to celebrating his gender-affirming healthcare with a radiant shirtless selfie.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Page has now offered his advice to Adam, a trans man in India whose family subjected him to conversion therapy and locked him in his home for a year.
“This is not just my story,” Adam said via video message. “This is the story of trans people around the world. So my question is, what message do you have for trans people going through tough times?”
A visibly moved Page then responded with some moving words of advice for trans people struggling with the global hostile climate.
“My message is just to hold on and to love yourself with all your might and to know that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you,” he shared.
“Reach out for support where you can find it. In person or online. Seek out narratives that offer some kind of representation, some kind of comfort. Just a reminder that you’re not alone.”
As one of only a handful of openly trans stars in Hollywood, Page is blazing a trail for LGBTQ+ representation, not least through his film production company, Page Boy Productions, which he created in 2021 to tackle toxic masculinity.
“Being aggressive is encouraged in men,” he continued to the BBC. “I hope those expectations of what it means to be a man, what masculinity means, can be redefined and healed.”
Page Boy Productions’ next project is Paramount+’s Len & Cub, a limited six-part series dramatising the true story of a secret relationship between two young men in rural 20th-century New Brunswick.
Meanwhile, onscreen, Page’s Umbrella Academy character, Viktor Hargreeves, had their own touching trans coming out arc in the third season.
“I’m in this unique position,” he explained to the BBC, “and I absolutely have to use my privilege and my platform to do what I can, in whatever way, to help my community.”
Despite the actor’s best efforts to diversify the TV and film industry, he understands that there is still “so far to go”.
When asked if he thought a young trans person could have a successful career in Hollywood, he replied: “I’m not 100 per cent sure. In some ways, potentially. But now, we’re also in a time of such extreme hateful rhetoric against trans lives. There’s still so far to go.”
For now, as he prepares for his next big role in in his personal life Page is taking things one day at a time and stopping to smell the roses.
As Page prepares for his next major role in indie drama Close To You, he is taking things one day at a time in his personal life.
“I’m not too interested in having kids, to be honest. But, I guess you never know. I do feel like I’m really living my life for the first time. I’m just happy. Just getting to wake up and walk my dog and hang out with friends and feel like I’m in, really in, my body for the first time,” he concluded.
Rape Crisis England and Wales works towards the elimination of sexual violence. If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
