Elliot Page, whose long list of acting credits includes Vanya (A.K.A. the White Violin) in The Umbrella Academy adaptation on Netflix, Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat in multiple X-Men films, and the eponymous protagonist of 2007’s Juno, has announced in a statement on Twitter that he is transgender, his name is Elliot, and their pronouns are “He/They.”
— Elliot Page (@TheElliotPage) December 1, 2020
In Elliot’s statement on Twitter, he took time to express his joy at being a part of the queer and trans community as well as making space to acknowledge his privilege, citing the disproportionate amount of violence that Black and Latinx trans women are subjected to as a result of transphobia.
Their statement minced no words in assigning responsibility for the continued violence towards trans people to the political leaders who deny trans people access to necessary healthcare and continue to deny the right of trans people to exist. As their statement made clear, this was not a call for anyone to be “cancelled,” but rather, it was a clear declaration that he will not be silent in the face of attacks meant to keep trans people silent as our rights are stripped away.
He concluded his statement by noting that he sees the members of the trans community who are regularly subjected to abuse, harassment, self-loathing, and violent threats, and they offered his love to them before pledging to help make the world a better place for trans people.
The statement, which is included in full below, is doing significant numbers on Twitter, and multiple accounts have made a point of declaring their support, including cartoonist Molly Knox Ostertag (The Girl from the Sea) and the official Twitter account for The Umbrella Academy on Netflix.
Congratulations! I’m so happy for you!!!
— Molly Knox Ostertag (@MollyOstertag) December 1, 2020
https://twitter.com/umbrellaacad/status/1333821625997864960?s=21
The Beat wishes Elliot nothing but the best, and we look forward to continuing to enjoy their work in the years to come.
