The artist formerly known as Ellen Page has come out as a transgender non-binary person. His name is now Elliot Page. Elliot is 33-years-old and an Oscar-nominated actor, currently starring in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy. He issued a statement on social media (via Variety) with the announcement:
“Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot. 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. I’ve been endlessly inspired by so many in the trans community. Thank you for your courage, your generosity and ceaselessly working to make this world a more inclusive and compassionate place. I will offer whatever support I can and continue to strive for a more loving and equal society.”
“I love that I am trans. And 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.”
By saying his pronouns are “he/they,” Elliot means that he’s fine with being called “he” or the non-binary they/them, which are the pronouns used by celebrities like Asia Kate Dillon and Sam Smith. I had to consult GLAAD’s style guide for accuracy, and here’s what they write about the he/they distinction: “DO describe Elliot Page as a non-binary, transgender person. Both transgender and non-binary are umbrella terms that describe many different types of experiences. In Page’s case, it can be used like this: ‘Elliot Page describes themself as transgender and non-binary, meaning that their gender identity is neither man nor woman.’” The GLAAD style guide also says that anyone writing or speaking about Elliot can use he/him or they/them pronouns, because Page himself says he’s fine with either.
Elliott has been married to Emma Portney since January 2018, and Emma is completely supportive of Elliot revealing his authentic self. Emma reposted Elliot’s statement with the comment that she’s “so proud…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.”
I’m so happy for Elliot!
Update: To the people complaining about deadnames, I truly consulted the GLAAD media style guide. When a celebrity or public figure announces their transgender identity, a one-time reference to their former name is acceptable for identification purposes.
— Elliot Page (@TheElliotPage) December 1, 2020
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
I found this very moving and seeing his wife’s statement now just made me cry. I don’t understand why anyone would get bent out of shape about someone being their authentic self. Especially now, with the world such a chaotic mess. Wishing him nothing but support, love and peace.
I am joyful that they are finally able to show the world their true self. May they be surrounded by support and love.
Amazing news, and welcome to Elliot!
My understanding is that there is a lot of celebration and joy in the teen trans community tight now that Elliot has come out like this and that they have such an incredible role model and spokesperson in Elliot. ❤️❤️❤️
Elliot is such a fighter for so many important issues, I can’t imagine the wonderful impact this has had on the trans community, especially the younger generation.
Yes, there is. I am the mother of a 16 year old non-binary child. They were in tears when they saw the statement and so excited. I can only imagine the text chain among their friends yesterday.
I know several adults who are celebrating as well. It’s such happy news that Elliot is living his truth.
Amazing news! So glad so many people have shown their support as they should. He has always spoken out for the community and I am so glad he’s getting the support back in spades! Also, side note, I love the name Elliot, was literally discussing names with someone a few weeks ago and we were all saying is such a beautiful name and you don’t hear it often nowadays.
I wanted to name boyspawn Elliot. But we ended up using it as his middle name. Such a great name.
I’m glad that he has a support system in his wife, and he is able openly to embrace his true self. Always nice to get some uplifting, happy news in 2020.
Amazing news. Every time someone finds their true self, it is a joyous occasion. I think about all the kids and youths trying to grasp who they are, and accept something different, and how great it is they can look up to Elliot.
If a person was queer and then come out as trans, does that mean they are actually straight? I’m not very knowlegeable about this topic and I’m curious to understand it a bit better. For ex. Elliot, while he was Ellen was a lesbian. If now he identifies as a man and he’s into women is he still considered a gay person and if yes, why?
That was exactly the question I had last night when I read about Elliot. In his case, he sees himself as non-binary so I guess you could still term it as a queer relationship, that can look on the outside as a straight relationship? To someone who was born a woman, only ever dated men and has never doubted her gender identity I am also baffled by the distinctions, and would like to read up on it more. Does anybody here have a good link that explains it all to the newbie?
It’s amazing that Elliot feels the freedom and clarity to be their true gender identity and while i sometimes despair at 2020, it is a reminder that we are experiencing societal progress.
I’ve seen this asked elsewhere, and the answer I’ve been seeing is that it’s best to defer to the individual’s preference. Elliot refers to himself as queer, so that’s the appropriate term to use here. Someone else who transitions in a similar situation may or may not define themselves as queer. Much like pronouns, it’s up to them what label they want to use for their sexuality (if any), and the best thing we can do is respect their wishes.
If anyone more familiar with the situation would like to add to or correct my explanation, please do.
A friend who is a trans woman told me she finds queer to be a good catch-all term. She identified as a gay man, then a gay trans woman, which she found made no sense, then a queer trans woman.
She said the problem is that “gay” is also fairly binary, so once you get into multiple gender/sexuality differentials, queer is the most accurate.
That said, if Elliott states explicitly that he still considers himself gay, then that becomes the correct term.
It really depends on the person. Some transgender men may identify as straight if they’re only attracted to women but many will identify as queer or LGBTQ+ because they are still part of that community and can face the same struggle in society that all sectors face (challenging the idea that their sexuality or gender identity is not “normal” like that of cisgender straight people).
Elliot continues to identify as “queer” so he would fall into the latter category.
Elliot is also non-binary, which more or less precludes a “straight” relationship—there’s an inherent queerness there.
Bisexuality is a thing.
RIGHT?!?
It’s not a perfect analogy, but as a black/white biracial woman, if I date a white man, it’s still an interracial relationship.
So being trans, you’re still in the queer neighborhood as it were regardless of who you are and how it relates to who you are with. But that’s all dependant upon how the individual views themselves.
Doesn’t he identify as queer? I once had a queer coworker explain to me that gender and sexuality are too separate things and one doesn’t define the other. Anyway, happy for them and the positive reaction they’re getting so far. I haven’t really followed their work since Juno so hope they’ll continue to work and stay safe. I have to admit my first reaction to their announcement was at first confusion ( who’s Elliot Page and what have they been in?) and then worry for them. However, it is such a joyful announcement so I wish them luck and happiness.
Yeah, I am having a hard time making sense of this too. I get the transgendered part and that’s fine, but to identify as still queer….doesn’t that mean he prefers men….I’m a little confused.
I suspect the Sioux nation historically were well ahead of everyone when it comes to these definitions. I think they had six, at least.
I clearly have more learning to do on this because I’m not sure I understand how he is non-binary if his pronouns are he or they? If it was just they/them I get it, but isn’t the inclusion of “he” referencing being male?
I am very happy for Elliot, I hope they are able to feel whole. I have a young cousin who is transgender and can only imagine that it is helpful to have role models like Elliot to feel less alone.
Kate,
I have the same questions regarding the use of a male pronoun and traditionally male first name. I’m here to learn.
I think it’s just a comfort level thing. Doesn’t make him less non-binary.
To give a much milder example, I’m married, but I’m ok being called by my maiden name. Obviously gendering is much, much more impactful, but it’s the same principle. He identifies himself as non-binary, but he is comfortable being referred to as he/him, or they/them, so that’s what we should do. There is no one to one correspondence between how you identify and your pronouns.
My general rule is when in doubt, use they/them and ask for preference 🙂
Pronouns are not tied to gender identity. There are cis lesbians who use he/him pronouns. There are cis gay men who use she/her pronouns.
Haapa, In those cases, would the cis lesbian perhaps consider themselves gender fluid and would that possibly be the reason that they prefer he/him? Just trying to learn/understand more. I had thought that cis meant you identified as the gender you were assigned at birth, so am trying to understand why a person who IDENTIFIES as female would prefer he/him? (I am not arguing with your statement at all— I honestly don’t understand and want to)
Obviously, it is always best just to use whatever pronouns / terms that an individual prefers. You can’t go wrong there. But I also think it is helpful for people to have conversations like this thread where we see the various identities/genders/sexualities that people are embracing for themselves to better understand how many intracacies there are.
“Pronouns are not tied to gender identity” That is definitely not true across the board. Plenty of Trans and non-binary folks feel their pronouns are extremely tied to their gender identity, that’s why pronouns are such a big deal. It’s best to just ask, case by case.
I’m glad Kaiser looked up the pronoun issue in the style guide and explained what it said about the use of he/they because that confused me when I saw a post about this elsewhere yesterday. I’m a grammar person, so that was much appreciated!
HRC has a lot of good info on trans and nonbinary people. https://www.hrc.org/resources/transgender
Good for them! The world is a bit brighter every time some chooses to show their true selves. I hope they receive lots of support.
Raymond Holt, is that you?
No but I totally was thinking of the character’s words when I read that story. 🙂
This is wonderful news. I have been such a huge fan of his work since Juno, which I have seen several times. I believe he is by far one of the most gifted actors of his generation. Kudos to Elliot for coming out as trans! This will help so many people, both trans and straight (cis gendered). This helps our entire society move forward.
Very happy for Elliot. I was also thrilled to see news outlets yesterday universally being so respectful of his pronouns and name. I wish him much happiness and peace!
Yes Elliot!!!
Really happy for Elliot! What an amazing thing, to be able to find your true self and make it known to the world.
I had no idea he got married two years ago, and what a lovely statement from Emma. Best wishes to them both.
There is no greater joy than seeing someone being true to themselves. I hope people continue to be kind ❤️
I saw yesterday that Netflix is recataloging credits where he’s ‘Ellen Page’ to reflect his transition and new name.
One thing I found interesting , because we discuss it so much here, is that people were saying he shouldn’t continue his role on his Netflix show (whose name escapes me right now) because it’s a cisgender female. The counter-argument was made that trans people can play non-trans roles just not vice versa for all the reasons we’ve talked a little. But some were like ‘isn’t it cross dressing now’, is it appropriate for a man to play a woman (even if that man took the role when they identified as female) etc
The character actually has a male name, as Vanya in Russia is most often used as a nickname for Ivan. And it’s implied the character is the Russian baby from the first scene on the show.
The character was, for lack of better term, already majorly gaslighted and grossly manipulated by their adoptive father and sister and the adoptive father is not above playing with the DNA of their adopted children so there’s avenues they can explore. although I would hope the writers consult with Elliot and others in the community to determine how they want to proceed.
Thanks for that info since I don’t watch it 🙂 I guess neither do any of those in the article I read either!
I stumbled on a movie on Crave (Canadian streaming service) that Elliott is in. They have already updated to the correct names and probouns as well. Very impressed!
imdb.com also changed everything over immediately. I’m glad for every company/website who did that.
There’s nothing about the role of Vanya (in the TV series) that is inherently or exclusively female. The siblings referred to Vanya as their sister, but if you amend that to suit for future seasons, then how would anything else need to be different?
I clearly also need to educate myself because I didn’t realize when a person asks to be referenced as “he/they” that they were identifying themselves as non-binary. I read the statement and assumed Elliot had come out as a transgender man! What with the traditional male name and all (though I guess these days names are considered pretty gender neutral. I have a friend whose mother-in-law’s name is Kevin and that throws me for a loop every time I hear it). I wonder what this means for Elliot’s character on Umbrella Academy who as far as we know is a cisgendered female. Maybe it’ll become part of her (the character’s) storyline?
Anyways how wonderful for Elliot to live life as his true self. It’s going to take some getting used to the name change but it’ll become more automatic as time goes on.
I was under the impression that he came out as nonbinary last year and is now coming out as a trans man
Oh actually scratch that, I forgot Vanya actually dated a woman in season 2! But I don’t remember the character coming out as non binary.
Live a happy life. Cheers!
I am completely happy for them. they can feel right and grounded in their own skin.. I’m here for it. I can’t wrap my head around things terms definitions etc but If someone tells me how they choose to identify and gender/ not gender themselves I will respect it and follow suit and love them for them. Elliot is a lovely human and a lovely portraying characters for entertainment purposes .. so I am all for it!!
Happy for Elliot.
This was good news. Happy for him!
So happy for him! I have been watching The Umbrella Academy recently and he is one of the best parts of the show. I am also glad that Netflix has embraced him and has already changed his name in the cast list.
Happy for him. Hope this brings him greater peace and happiness.
A very courageous move given the climate. I wish them well.
It will be interesting to see how the producers of “Umbrella Academy” deal with this. It’s likely an unprecedented situation they have on their hands, so they’re going to have to toe around it with some caution, but I don’t see them shooting themselves in the foot given the representation the show uses to its appeal. If it goes well, Hollywood and similar organizations will have precedent going forward on how to handle things.
I feel privileged to be pansexual this day 😀 he is GORGEOUS and has always been super talented!
Edit: the producers of Umbrella Academy have always been weird about Page’s storylines, I think because they’re intimidated by his fame/celebrity (same thing happened on Doctor Who when they got that GoT girl and the plot derailed cause the director was drooling instead of writing stories) . I personally thought that shit with the farmhouse wife was really boring, but Elliot did a great job with the script they had to work with.
I was so happy to read this, that is such a good statement, made me very emotional. Ihave a trans child, reading this fills my heart with hope for a better and safer future.
Good for them! I hope the support that I’ve seen online continues. <3