8 times Elliot Page radiated trans joy as he turns 39
Elliot Page. (Getty)
Trans actor Elliot Page turns 39 today (21 February), so what better time to highlight the many moments in which they have radiated trans joy.
In December 2020, the Juno and Umbrella Academy star came out as trans, sharing a lengthy statement on all his social media channels.
“I feel incredibly lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life,” he said. “I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to express my authentic self.”
Since then, Page has continued to radiate trans joy, and in doing so has become a symbol for unbridled trans joy for members of the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.
A year following coming out, Page was already the most recognisable transmasculine person in the public eye. Page has used his platform to raise awareness of proposed anti-trans laws in the US and also became the first-ever out trans man to grace the cover of Time magazine, echoing trans actress Laverne Cox’s 2015 cover.
Ezra Maloney wrote for PinkNews in December 2021, stating that “voices like Page’s have been an antidote, combatting the overwhelming negativity with images of pure trans joy”.
In 2022, Page shared one of his many radiant selfies that beamed pure trans joy. Wearing a black t-shirt under a grey jumper with a silver chain, the Juno star left his followers feeling a touch emotional, with 13 Reasons Why star Tommy Dorfman, who came out as trans in 2021, rightly calling Page “hot”.
Page announced his memoir, “Pageboy“, in February 2022. In May the following year he spoke about his reaction to receiving the first physical copies. “Wow. It’s real,” he told his Instagram followers, adding, “Can’t wait for you to read it”.
In 2023, Page opened up about how gender-affirming care changed his life in a moving Instagram post.
Alongside a topless selfie, he shared that “dysphoria used to be especially rife in the summer”, adding: “It feels so f****** good soaking in the sun now, I never thought I could experience this, the joy I feel in my body.”
“I am so grateful for what gender-affirming care has allowed me and I look forward to sharing more of my journey soon,” he rounded off, adding the simple hashtag #TransJoy.
Last year, Page hard launched his first public relationship since coming out as a trans man, posting a selfie with Ad World star Julia Shiplett on his Instagram profile. The pair cosied up while on a rainbow-paved road, with Page adding a rainbow emoji and a double pink heart emoji. Page was married to Emma Portner between 2018 and 2021, though they split in mid-2020.
Page – who has been used as a positive role model for masculinity at London’s Streatham Wells Primary School – previously recalled the “incredible” reaction the showrunner at The Umbrella Academy had to him coming out as trans.
He recalled that the series showrunner Steve Blackman was “actually probably one of the first people I came out to”.
“I was supposed to go back to shoot the third season and wanted to ideally get surgery before. I called him nervously and he was incredible,” Page said.
“If anything, he was the one who was very insistent on me having it be a part of the show and supported me to be able to access the care I was hoping to get at that time.”
Speaking to “Unholy” singer Sam Smith on their podcast The Pink House in 2024, Page shared gratitude for his gender identity. He said: “I love being trans because I love trans people. I feel so lucky to have had this experience in my life, what it’s offered me and what it’s given me, how much it’s taught me, and the community it’s allowed me to connect to.”
These aren’t all, but just some of the times Page has radiated trans joy. Happy 39th birthday, Elliot Page!
