One common issue people face today is being misidentified as the wrong gender. This occasionally happens to 37-year-old Elliott Page, an actor who is also recognized for his life as a transgender.
He posted on Instagram: “Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot. 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.”
Elliott also addressed the violence that trans people often face, stating: “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.”
He stars in Dominic Savage’s film Close to You, where he portrays Sam, a character who returns to his family following his gender transition.
In the film, Sam corrects his on-screen mother when she mistakenly uses the wrong gender pronoun for him. When asked if this was just a slip of the tongue, Elliott acknowledged that it was but mentioned he doesn’t dwell on such matters unless they are hurtful.
“I feel weird because I get misgendered all the time, and I don’t care unless someone’s trying to…” He went on to say that he wouldn’t correct Wendy as himself.
I’d be like: ‘It’s fine. We’re going to move on from the moment. It takes a second. But, you know, I’m not me. I’m Sam here. And that moment was so perfect because that’s what happens.”
Elliott also confessed that even his own mother occasionally gets his pronouns wrong, but he doesn’t see it as a major issue. “She’s pretty good. I’m like, ‘Of course, it’s going to take you a second, Mom. It’s fine. You don’t need to beat yourself up about it!'” he said.
“In those situations, I know the intent of people close to me in my life who are wanting to get it right. If someone misgenders me, I don’t take it personally.
“When someone does go to apologize, it’s great. But let’s move on to the next moment in our interaction. Let’s move on before it turns into a bigger thing and becomes about the person who did the misgendering and turns into this whole other energy,” he continued. “These things take a second. It’s all good.”
He also said: “For me, it’s about people taking individual time to educate themselves,” he said. “There are a lot of resources out there to learn more about trans people and the reality of our experiences. A question isn’t always a negative thing, but there’s a time and place and context and tone.”