Elliot Page came out to the world while recovering from ‘life-saving’ top surgery
Elliot Page received an outpouring of love and support from fans and celebrities after coming out as trans. (Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb)
Elliot Page has revealed that when he came out as transgender, he was recovering from top surgery, which he said has “completely transformed his life”.
Page, who first came into the public eye after starring in Juno and most recently featured in the Netflix series The Umbrella Academey, came out as trans in December last year.
In his first interview since coming out, Page told Time magazine that his journey with his gender identity has been a lifelong process, and that defining his gender identity is both “complicated” and “ongoing”. Although in the interview, Page refers to himself as a “transgender guy”, he also uses “non-binary” and “queer” to describe himself.
During the coronavirus pandemic, after separating from wife Emma Portner with whom he remains “good friends”, he had time along to focus on issues he had been “unconsciously avoiding”.
After a lot of “shame and discomfort”, and inspiration from icons like Janet Mock and Laverne Cox, he said: “I was finally able to embrace being transgender, and letting myself fully become who I am.”
Having finally embraced his identity, Page went on to make decisions about how he wanted to express his gender, including asking the world to call him Elliot and to use either he/him or they/them pronouns.
He also decided that getting top surgery was right for him, although he is sure to emphasise that surgery is no a prerequisite to being trans. Following the “total hell” of puberty, Page is now finally able to be comfortable in his body, and said: “It has completely transformed my life.”
Page added that top surgery, for him, has been “not only life-changing but lifesaving”.
Although he has long been a high-profile voice for the LGBT+ community, coming out has given Page a global platform to advocate specifically for the trans community.
He acknowledges that his fame, money and whiteness put him at an advantage in many ways, and has been vocal about issues specific to less privileged parts of the community, from Black trans women, to trans kids.
“My privilege has allowed me to have resources to get through and to be where I am today, and of course I want to use that privilege and platform to help in the ways I can,” he said.
