“Juno” star Elliot Page, formerly known as Ellen Page, landed a TIME magazine cover on Tuesday. Page, a biological female who came out as transgender in December, detailed undergoing so-called “top surgery” during the lengthy interview with the magazine.
“With deep respect for those who came before me, gratitude for those who have supported me & great concern for the generation of trans youth we must all protect, please join me and decry anti-trans legislation, hate & discrimination in all its forms,” Page captioned the cover in a Twitter post Monday.
With deep respect for those who came before me, gratitude for those who have supported me & great concern for the generation of trans youth we must all protect, please join me and decry anti-trans legislation, hate & discrimination in all its forms. pic.twitter.com/5yr8TYywTn
— Elliot Page (@TheElliotPage) March 16, 2021
During an interview, Page detailed undergoing top surgery, when a person’s breasts are surgically removed and their surrounding tissue is tailored to generate a masculine chest contour. TIME reported:
Another decision was to get top surgery. Page volunteers this information early in our conversation; at the time he posted his disclosure on Instagram, he was recovering in Toronto. Like many trans people, Page emphasizes being trans isn’t all about surgery. For some people, it’s unnecessary. For others, it’s unaffordable. For the wider world, the media’s focus on it has sensationalized transgender bodies, inviting invasive and inappropriate questions. But Page describes surgery as something that, for him, has made it possible to finally recognize himself when he looks in the mirror, providing catharsis he’s been waiting for since the “total hell” of puberty. “It has completely transformed my life,” he says. So much of his energy was spent on being uncomfortable in his body, he says. Now he has that energy back.
Elliot Page covers the latest issue of Time Magazine. pic.twitter.com/9SeIGVBaPz
— Film Updates (@TheFilmUpdates) March 16, 2021
“My privilege has allowed me to have resources to get through and to be where I am today,” Page said, “and of course I want to use that privilege and platform to help in the ways I can.”
“The Umbrella Academy” star seemingly came out against the protection of girls and women’s sports based on biological sex, too. Commenting on GOP-backed legislation that seeks to divide sports by biology as opposed to gender identity, Page said, “I would have been in that position as a kid. It’s horrific.”
As a kid, Page played competitive girls soccer after aging out of mixed-gender squads. TIME noted, however, Page was allowed to play with the boys for an additional year after an appeal.
“We know who we are,” Page said of transgender people. “People cling to these firm ideas [about gender] because it makes people feel safe. But if we could just celebrate all the wonderful complexities of people, the world would be such a better place.”
After coming out as a transgender, Page’s “team is seeing more activity than they have in years,” TIME reported. “Many of the offers coming in—to direct, to produce, to act—are trans-related, but there are also some ‘dude roles.'”
“I’m really excited to act, now that I’m fully who I am, in this body,” Page said. “No matter the challenges and difficult moments of this, nothing amounts to getting to feel how I feel now.”