Elliot Page Feels ‘Ease’ As A Trans Man, Skin Wasn’t His Own
Elliot Page is opening up about the challenges and joys he’s come across since coming out as trans in 2020. While promoting his new memoir, Pageboy, the actor gave some insight into his life story. “When I’m walking down the street, and young people come up to me, it means the world to me,” Page, 36, told People on Friday (June 2). “Them being themselves, having the courage to say, ‘This is who I am, and I’m gonna live authentically.’”
“The privilege I have does not represent the reality of most trans lives,” Page continued. “The reality is trans people disproportionately are unemployed, disproportionately experience homelessness. Trans women of color are being murdered. People are losing their healthcare.” Speaking about his own difficulties, Page adds, “I do feel like I barely made it in many ways.”
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On how it feels to share his truth with the world, the Canadian native said he “never thought” he’d be able to feel it. He further said it “mostly manifests in how present I feel, the ease I feel and the ability to exist.” He recalled periods in his life where he “really felt like” he didn’t exist in those “quiet moments.” Speaking of that “stillness,” Page says there is a lot of talk about “trans joy” and “euphoria,” but he lived in a state of anxiety and “was always kind of shut off… I used to never feel like my skin was my own.”
Finding That Joy
Now, Page experiences joy “by surprise sometimes.” The Umbrella Academy actor said, “A friend will simply take a photo, and then I get a glimpse, and it just sends this electric thrill through my body, this sort of spark. Because it’s funny — it’s seeing something new, but also not. I realize I look different to people now who’ve known me from before, but I’m thinking, “Oh my gosh, there’s that person I’ve seen but never thought I’d actually get to see.” Pageboy will be released on June 6.
Watch Elliot Page’s interview with People below:
