Elliot Page, ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Star, Comes Out As Transgender

Elliot Page, star of the movie Juno and the Netflix show The Umbrella Academy, has announced via an emotional Instagram post that he is transgender.

“Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot,” Page re-introduced himself. “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. I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self.”

Page then described how he was inspired by and grateful for his fellow members of the trans community, offering his support in return, and choosing to use his platform to raise awareness for transphobic hate crimes and violence.

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“Despite feeling profoundly happy right now and knowing how much privilege I carry, I am also scared,” he wrote. “I want to address the full picture. The statistics are staggering. The discrimination towards trans people is rife, insidious and cruel, resulting in horrific consequences. In 2020 alone it has been reported that at least 40 transgender people have been murdered, the majority of which were Black and Latinx trans women.”

He later added that 40% of trans adults report attempting suicide, and that, though he wasn’t trying to cancel anyone, he wants to give voice to other trans people alongside himself who have been hurt.

Page ended his letter to his fans by returning to a positive note of self love and advocacy.

“I love that I am trans,” he wrote. “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. To all the trans people who deal with harassment, self-loathing, abuse and the threat of violence every day: I see you, I love you and I will do everything I can to change this world for the better.”

Page’s announcement has been met with widespread support. His wife, Emma Portner, was one of the first people to come out and congratulate him on social media, reposting his message and captioning it with one of her own.

“I am so proud of @elliotpage,” Portner wrote. “Trans, queer and non-binary people are a gift to this world. I also ask for patience & privacy but that you join me in the fervent support of trans life every single day. Elliot’s existence is a gift in and of itself. Shine on sweet E. Love you so much.”

Even Netflix met Page’s announcement with support – Page will continue to portray Vanya in The Umbrella Academy, but his credits on the show, alongside the credits and metadata of all his other works on Netflix, have been updated to say Elliot Page.