Elliot Page on balancing trans joy and the harsh realities of anti-LGBTQ sentiment
TORONTO — Elliot Page is in a somewhat odd position, he says, as one of the most visible transgender men in the world.
He’s in a better place than ever before. The Halifax-born actor can be completely himself without reservation. But at the same time, he has publicly declared himself to be a group under attack.
“The visibility is complicated,” he told The Canadian Press in a recent interview. “No doubt we need to see ourselves and our joy reflected, and I know how much that has helped me on my journey. But of course that can also lead to backlash, and it does lead to the most vulnerable members of our community being hit the most.”
That dissonance plays out in his memoir “Pageboy,” published earlier this month by HarperCollins Canada.
“I’m just trying to find a balance in my own life.”
The book gives readers a non-linear view of his life, exploring his childhood in Halifax and his early entry into acting, the fame that came from his breakthrough role in “Juno,” and the trauma often associated with being queer in Hollywood.
He has written about several sexual assaults over the years, public speculation about his sexual orientation in his youth, the harassment he faced when he came out as a lesbian in 2014, and disbelief when he announced he was transgender six years later. used to be.
The continuous line is his understanding, only sometimes consciously, that he was never a girl or a woman.
As a child, he had more confidence in that knowledge, until his parents discontinued it. Puberty also had a dampening effect, and with it came the onset of gender dysphoria – which he described as “a profound discomfort and confusion and incongruity with my mind”. and body.”
“Something in me has always known, but it was like I always talked myself out of it, figured out a way around it because it just felt too big,” he said.
It was the COVID-19 pandemic that planted the “seeds of hope, the whispers of a brighter future,” he wrote. When he saw his reflection when he wore a face mask, he looked like the man he always knew.
From there it was fast. Much faster than the process of coming out as a lesbian, which happened in stages over the years. He was largely closeted until 2014, but began dating women in his youth, including while filming “Juno” in 2007.
In the nearly decade since his first coming out, the landscape in Hollywood has changed — though not much, he noted. But he’s also safer, making the coming out process smoother this time around.
It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t recognize that it can be overwhelming at times right now,” he said.
As society becomes more accepting of the LGBTQ community, there has been a backlash and sections of the population have sought to reclaim recent gains.
There is a wave of anti-trans laws in the United States, where Page now lives, with more than a dozen states banning or restricting gender-affirming care for minors.
And while it’s tempting to think of Canada as a tolerant, accepting haven for LGBTQ people, Page notes that’s not necessarily the case.
“The climate is a little better, but the emphasis is a little on the word,” he said. “Canada still has a long way to go. We see very loud, aggressive, anti-trans rhetoric, behavior, outright attacks (and) bills being drafted and passed. We see that expanding into Canada.”
He pointed to the example of New Brunswick, where teachers must now obtain parental consent before using the preferred pronouns and names of transgender and non-binary students under the age of 16.
“We have to be very, very careful about how we shape the conversation in Canada because it’s a slippery slope,” Page said.
Conversations on social media can be particularly vicious, a constant stream of hate. Page said he largely ignores it.
“It’s not something I want to invite into my life and my space,” he said. “I know who I am.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 19, 2023.
