Elliot Page shares the best way to be a trans ally amid “sad & frightening” anti-trans laws

Beloved transgender actor and acclaimed author Elliot Page spoke out against transphobia and encouraged people to educate themselves about misinformation in anti-trans legislation during Page’s recent appearance on the daytime TV talk show The View.

Page appeared on the show to discuss the upcoming season of The Umbrella Academy, but he also conversed about his 2023 memoir Pageboy, which detailed his transition and coming out as a trans man.

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“I feel very fortunate to say that people have been incredibly generous in their response,” he said, adding that trans people of all ages have reached out to him.

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“People have turned to share their own stories, or how … me sharing mine helped them feel less alone, more seen, feel some hope, helped them connect with their parents, even. It means everything,” he said.

The conversation soon turned to the proliferation of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Page said, “Of course, I feel incredibly sad about it, and angry, and frightened — and I know a lot of people are.”

He also pointed out that a lot of people lack an understanding of the trans community.

“The vast majority of people don’t know, or think they don’t know a trans person, and so the amount of misinformation and just true flat-out lies about our lives — who we are, our healthcare — spread,” he said.

Page said that people should educate themselves about anti-trans legislation being introduced across the country. Over half of states ban gender-affirming care for minors. Just last week, New Hampshire passed three anti-LGBTQ+ laws in one day, most of them targeting trans minors. The wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation has gotten to the point that last September, the Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans.

When the hosts asked him how people should practice being a good ally, Page said, “Listen to trans people, trans youth, the parents of trans youth, many of whom were in denial for so long.”

“In terms of tangible actions, you can go to the the ACLU’s website, you can look and track—they have an actual tracker showing how these bills are spreading. You can watch great documentaries like Disclosure or Changing the Game,” he said.

Page came out as trans in December of 2020 in a heartfelt Instagram post, writing, “Hi friends. I wanted to share that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they, and my name is Eliot.”

“I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life,” his post continued.

“I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer. And the more I hold myself close and fully embrace who I am, the more I dream, the more my heart grows and the more I thrive,” he wrote. “To all the 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 this world for the better.”

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