For actor Elliot Page, the journey to real life has been and continues to be emotional. In his first interview since then going out as a transgender in December, Page spoke to Time Magazine about the “deep gratitude” she felt for “getting to this point in my life” and her struggle to ensure that all transgender people have the support they need.
“I want to live and be who I am,” Page told Time, known for his role on Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy”. “… It’s a complicated journey and an ongoing process.”
Page is the first transgender man to be on the cover of Time magazine, according to Reuters.
Despite leaving just three months ago, Page, 34, said in the interview that he felt like he wanted to identify as a boy from an early age. But he said being a professional actor, a career that began at age 10, required him to “look a certain way.”
When he decided to tell the world his name is Elliot, he said he expected a lot of support and love, but also a “huge amount of hatred and transphobia.”
“That essentially happened,” Page told the magazine. But despite the criticism he has received, he told the magazine that he believes he has the privilege and responsibility of being honest and living authentically.
“Extremely influential people spread these myths and harm rhetoric; every day you see our existence debated,” Page said. “Transgender people are very real.”
Much of this debate has been political. So far, in 2021, there have been more than 100 proposed bills that would negatively affect the LGBTQ community, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. More than 60 of these bills are specifically targeted at transgender youth, the ACLU said.
Since leaving, Page has primarily used her social media pages to raise awareness about crimes and legislative actions that harm the LGBTQ community. One of the issues he has focused on is access to non-discriminatory health care for transgender people.
One of the most comprehensive surveys of transgender people in the United States, published in 2016, found that one in three transgender people who saw a doctor during the year had reported at least one negative experience related to being transgender, including harassment and denial. treatment. Transgender people were also more likely than the general population not to be insured.
“My privilege has allowed me to have the resources to move on and be where I am today,” Page told Time, “and of course I want to use that privilege and this platform to help me in the ways I can.”
Even as he tweeted about his interview with Time, Elliot used his platform to raise awareness about the discrimination transgender people face. “With deep respect for those who have introduced me, gratitude for those who have supported me and a great concern for the generation of trans youth that we all need to protect, please join me and denounce the anti-trans legislation , hatred and discrimination in all its forms, “he tweeted.
“We know who we are,” Page told Time, referring to the debate over transgender people’s rights. “People cling to these firm ideas [about gender] because it makes people feel safe. But if we could celebrate all the wonderful complexities of people, the world would be such a good place. “