Oscar nominee Elliot Page recently stepped up to fight an anti-trans law in Arkansas, and The Umbrella Academy star isn’t stopping there. Rather, Page is now speaking out against Texas officials after state Attorney General Ken Paxton declared that gender-affirming health care (including hormone therapy) is a form of child abuse. Page came out as transgender in December 2020 and has subsequently expressed gratitude for receiving necessary medical care in the aftermath.
Page also declared that the physical procedures had nothing but a positive impact on his emotional and mental health as well “because the constant discomfort and pain around that aspect of my body was gone.” After Paxton also took to Twitter to declare gender-affirming health care as both “monstrous and tragic,” and after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott cosigned these views, Page did not hold back in a statement to Variety:
“I am horrified by the inhumane and downright dangerous declarations by the Texas Governor and Attorney General. Trans youth deserve gender-affirming care and to be able to live their true, authentic selves without fear and oppression. I stand with trans youth and their families.”
Previously, Page stood up against Arkansas’ first-of-its-kind law to limit healthcare for trans youth, who were faced with their doctors being banned from providing or even recommending care that happens to be gender-affirming in nature. As the Washington Post notes, Texas’ law goes even further by encouraging doctors and teachers to report parents who seek gender-affirming care for their children, and those complaints could lead to trans youth being removed from their parents’ custody. This presents a dire situation, and Page isn’t alone in speaking out on Twitter.
I have gay friends who as kids, were beaten by parents trying to flog away the gay. One, is the son of a now dead former FL State Senator. He berated & beat my friend mercilessly & shoved his head into the toilet bowl to “straighten” him out. I hope legislators reconsider this.🌈 https://t.co/UswX0i8T7D
— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) February 22, 2022
This is where we are. We shot past dangerous and horrific a long time ago. The rubber has hit the road so who is standing shoulder to shoulder in this fight? Who truly gives a sh*t and whose on that performative bs? Let's see. https://t.co/WEFH0xETGw
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) February 23, 2022
There have always been trans kids. This is nothing new. Letting them live their truth will save their lives.
To all the trans kids and families who love them, in Texas and around the world: stay strong and keep fighting for your freedom.
— Lynda Carter (@RealLyndaCarter) February 24, 2022
(Via Variety & Washington Post)