Warning: This article contains discussion of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community which some readers may find distressing.
Elliot Page once opened up about the moment a Hollywood A-lister 'verbally assaulted' him about his sexuality after coming out.
Page publicly came out as gay over a decade ago back in 2014, and then as transgender in December of 2020 and, over the years, he's bravely shared a number of his experiences navigating through Hollywood as someone who doesn't fit heteronormative or cisgender identities.
The 38-year-old Umbrella Academy star has documented much of his experiences in his memoir, Pageboy, which was published a few years back in 2023 but it's clear that one particular anecdote has stood out from the rest, which saw Page candidly recount the unfortunate incident which saw another actor 'verbally assault' him at a birthday party in Los Angeles.
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The chapter in question is aptly titled 'Famous A**hole at Party'.
The incident took place back in 2014 when the individual, who Page referred to as an 'acquaintance' told him: "You aren't gay. That doesn’t exist. You are just afraid of men."
"I’m going to f**k you to make you realise you aren’t gay," the unnamed actor then shockingly said.
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A few days after the interaction, Page bumped into said actor at the gym where he claimed: "I don’t have a problem with gay people I swear."
"I think you might," Page told him at the time.
Elsewhere in the chapter, the Juno actor explained that he'd dealt with 'some version' of that interaction happening 'many times' throughout his life.
"A lot of queer and trans people deal with it incessantly," he continued. "These moments that we often like don't talk about or we're supposed to just brush off, when actually it's very awful."
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Page explained that this was the precise reason he included that anecdote in Pageboy, noting that 'it’s about highlighting the reality, the sh*t we deal with and what gets sent to us constantly, particularly in environments that are predominantly cis and heterosexual'.
"How we navigate that world where you either have more extreme, overt moments like that. Or you have the more, like, subtle jokes," he continued.
"[In Hollywood] these are very powerful people," Page went on. "They're the ones choosing what stories are being told and creating content for people to see all around the world."
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Noting that many people at the party saw and heard what happened, Page added: "I’m purposely not sharing his name.
"But he will hear about this and know it’s him."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]
Topics: Celebrity, Elliot Page, LGBTQ,
Rhiannon Ingle