How Elliot Page Has Begun to Start the Conversation for Many of the Inequalities that the Trans Community Face
On April 30th, Elliot Page, who is known for his roles in the films, Juno and Inception, went on the Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss his journey in coming to terms with his identity as transgender. This followed his coming out on Instagram in which on December 1st, 2020, he said, “to all trans people who deal with harassment, self-loathing, abuse and the threat of violence every day: I see you, I love you and I will do everything I can to change the world for the better.” It is clear that with the growing violence against those within the trans community. According to the Human Rights Campaign, “sadly, 2021 has already seen at least 17 transgender or gender non-conforming people fatally shot or killed by other violent means.” However, “too often these stories go unreported-or misreported.” Elliot Page is one of the first well-known transgender actors to openly identify as being so. It is clear that this has helped to inspire others to feel safe enough to openly identify with the LGBTQ+ community.
Elliot Page’s interview with Oprah Winfrey has helped others to see and come to terms with their own identity. According to CBS News, in an interview that was conducted by Time Magazine, “Elliot Page announced that he’d had top surgery.” He says that “he now feels more like himself and that little moments, like when he sees himself in a mirror, lead to “tears of joy.” It is clear that being able to come to terms with and share who he truly is with the world, that has allowed him to feel comfortable and even celebrate himself as a person. Elliot also talked about the gender norm pressures that he had faced following the release of the film that helped to set his career off, that being Juno. He says that while filming Inception, this was especially when he began to struggle with the pressure of gender norms. Elliot discusses this in the interview which can be seen when he says, “my manager really believed that she was really doing the right thing for me and helping my career by encouraging the dresses, and the heels, and the sort of pressure to do that.” This pressure affected Elliot both emotionally and physically, as he would frequently have panic attacks. However, coming out for Elliot has been monumental in his life and has allowed him to be his true, authentic self. It is also clear that coming to terms with and celebrating his identity has also had an impact on others, as at the end of the interview, according to CBS News, he brought up how “there is such an attack on trans health care right now, when already there is such lack of access or trans people who don’t even want to go to the doctor.” As many who belong to the trans community have a lack of access to healthcare and this issue has not been talked about enough, it is clear that Elliot is beginning to help start a discussion to not only fight against this, but alongside many of the other inequalities that those who identify as transgender, face.