Elliot Page has opened up about being the victim of a terrifying transphobic attack last year.
The Hollywood actor – who came out as transgender in 2020 – shared in his new book Pageboy that he was walking in West Hollywood when he was approached and shouted at by a man in the street.
“I’m going to f***ing gay bash you, f*****,” the man threatened, prompting a scared Elliot to run inside a nearby shop to ask for help.
“This is why I need a gun!” the man was also heard yelling.
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Elliot said of the incident: “Now when I’m in Los Angeles, I don’t feel comfortable like I used to going for walks.”
While acknowledging his own privileges, the Umbrella Academy star added: “[That] doesn’t mean it’s not traumatic. But I have resources that, in every instance that is difficult, protect and can shield me from these things.”
Elliot’s autobiography, titled Pageboy, was released on 6 June. He previously said on Instagram that he wrote the book in the hope that it could help others feel less alone.
Pageboy has already made headlines due to several of the revelations contained within it, including a story about an undisclosed actor threatening to sexually assault Elliot to make him “realise you aren’t gay”, years before the Oscar nominee transitioned.
“You aren’t gay. That doesn’t exist. You are just afraid of men,” Elliot recalled the actor telling him in one chapter, which is titled Famous Asshole At Party.
Elliot also shed light on his previous relationship with former co-star Kate Mara while he was filming 2014 flick, X-Men: Days of Future Past.
“I think my relationship, or whatever you want to call it with Kate, very much encapsulates a certain dynamic that I consistently found myself in, which was falling for people that – I think a lot of us do this – who aren’t fully available,” he wrote.
“And the sort of safety in that and the highs and the lows and the serotonin bump, and then it goes away.”
Help and support:
- The Gender Trust supports anyone affected by gender identity | 01527 894 838
- Mermaids offers information, support, friendship and shared experiences for young people with gender identity issues | 0208 1234819
- LGBT Youth Scotland is the largest youth and community-based organisation for LGBT people in Scotland. Text 07786 202 370
- Gires provides information for trans people, their families and professionals who care for them | 01372 801554
- Depend provides support, advice and information for anyone who knows, or is related to, a transsexual person in the UK