Elliott Page, the Academy Award-nominated star of Juno, Inception, and Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, announced via social media December 1 that he is trans.
This is a big deal for a lot of reasons. The embracing of one’s authentic self is always worthy of celebration, regardless of one’s fame, but this announcement brings more attention to the bravery inherent in coming out. Because Page has already earned a decade-plus of fans, the trans cause immediately gains thousands of new eyeballs.
More importantly, Page’s post may force fans to grapple with internalized transphobia based on their initial reaction to the news. In the process, as assholes feel compelled to make jokes in the comments, this shines a light on the issues facing anyone who comes out as trans. Boasting a far wider platform than many trans men and women possess, Page’s detractors have quickly been taken to task by supportive fans as hate (depressingly inevitable, even in 2020) rolls his way.
This kind of representation matters, especially for a community as subject to ignorant disdain and violence as the the trans community. As for Page’s role as a cisgendered character on The Umbrella Academy, Netflix has issued a statement to Variety saying that there is no plan to alter the role in any way. And the streamer has already updated Page’s billing on the series’ about page.
Read Page’s full statement below.
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