The meaning of him coming out for the LGBTQ community and beyond

Elliot Page, formerly known as Ellen, announced Tuesday,  he identifies as a gender non-binary transgender person and uses both he/him and they/them for pronouns.  If you are not familiar with the term, gender non-binary, it means that someones gender identity and who they know themselves to be is neither man nor woman. And the use of pronouns, as we all have them, whether we are conscious of it or not, for a transgender person, they preferred pronouns are a way of showing and giving respect for who someone authentically is.  

He took to his social media to post the very candid letter.   Below is a portion of the letter, the entirety can be seen on the below post from Elliot’s Twitter.

“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.”

This disclosure from Page, is a game changer for the entertainment industry, as it will give more trans visibility on screen.  Hollywood has been in need of the depiction of more accurate representation in TV shows and movies.  Even though Elliot announcing he was transgender is for obvious personal reasons, there also comes significant and impactful steps that affect the audience. 

Page known for his breakout role in “Juno”, as well as other varied characters including  work in “X-Men”, “Inception”, “Tallulah, “Whit It!” and much more.  Currently starring in Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy”, reports for next season, Page will continue to play the cisgender woman, with no plans to change the character’s gender.  Netflix does have plans to change the credits for all his past work. 

Prior to the announcement, Page has been one of the most visible and publicly gay actors in Hollywood.  Now, Page will be one, if not the, highest profile actor that has publicly identified as transgender. There are a small but growing number of out tran actors and public figures including: Laverne Cox,  Chaz Bono, Caitlyn Jenner, Jazz Jennings, Brian Michael Smith and Trace Lysette.   

GLAAD’s Director of Transgender Media, Nick Adams, commented on the announcement: 

“Elliot Page has given us fantastic characters on-screen, and has been an outspoken advocate for all LGBTQ people. He will now be an inspiration to countless trans and non-binary people. All transgender people deserve the chance to be ourselves and to be accepted for who we are. We celebrate the remarkable Elliot Page today.”

Anytime anyone is able to be their authentic selves, that should be celebrated. Coming out as transgender takes strength and vulnerability, Elliot sharing in such a public way is incredibly up-lifting. 

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