On December 1st, 2020, Umbrella Academy star Elliot Page came out as transgender over social media. He announced that he is transgender, non-binary, will be using the pronouns he/they, and his name is Elliot. 

For those who need an explanation on using he/they pronouns, its simpler than you might think. Using both pronouns means that the person is comfortable with more than one set of pronouns. So, when referring to the person, you can use either of the pronouns that person has told you.  

In this article, I will be using “he” when referring to Elliot Page to avoid confusion for those of you who may not be used to non-gendered pronouns in writing. 

To most people, Elliot Page coming out may seem like just another tabloid headline, but to those affected by it, it means so much more. LGBT+ people around the world already saw Page as a role model and icon when he came out as a lesbian in 2014. Now with this recent announcement, a new wave of hope reaches the transgender community. Page is adding to the representation of LGBT+ people in media once again. Having publicly LGBT+ actors and having characters in media be LGBT+ provides much needed representation to a community so often villainized by media.  

In recent years, gay, lesbian, and bisexual actors and characters have become more commonplace, but the world is still lacking in transgender representation. The list of transgender actors and characters is not non-existent; actresses like Laverne Cox and Hunter Schafer continue to make headlines, but more people like them are still needed. This is especially true with non-binary transgender people, so Elliot Page makes an important addition to the minimal representation.  

Representation of all identities in media lets people see that they aren’t alone. It can help people realize their identities and find the words to describe the way they may feel. In addition to that, normalizing a variety of identities can help spread awareness and information that society still sorely lacks. This awareness can work to end discrimination as people start to realize all identities are equal and valid. 

On a personal note, I am non-binary, I use they/them pronouns, so Elliot Page’s announcement meant so much to me. Having representation of people like me in media makes a huge difference in societies views of these identities and makes it easier for people like me to live out and proud. I am proud to be non-binary and having role models like Page be openly proud like me gives me hope for the future. I hope that everyone will one day be represented and have role models of all identities to look up to.  

(Elliot Page’s “coming out” post via his Instagram)

I am going to continue to write about LGBT+ topics and answer any “Queer”ies (I’m not even sorry about that pun) you may have. Please leave a comment if you have a topic you would like me to talk about!