Late last year, Elliot Page came out as transgender to tremendous support from his many fans and the broader trans community.
For years, he has used his platform as a successful actor to advocate for LGBTQ+ equality.
Last summer, he and his wife Emma Portner separated.
Now, they have filed for divorce after just over two years of marriage.
“After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce,” Elliot and Emma announced in a joint statement.
Their statement went on to reveal that they take this step “following our separation last summer.”
“We have the utmost respect for each other,” Elliot and Emma affirmed, “and remain close friends.”
Elliot needs little introduction, and is currently most recognized for his role on the Netflix series, The Umbrella Academy.
He is a 33-year-old actor who has been appearing in films large and small since he was young, from Juno to Hard Candy to multiple X-Men films.
Emma Portner is originally from Ottowa, Ontario, and she is a teacher at the Broadway Dance Center.
Elliot and Emma first went public with their relationship in the summer of 2017.
In 2018, however, the two married — catching fans off guard with a sense of welcome surprise.
Though it was clearly months after their separation, Emma was publicly encouraging after Elliot came out as trans on December 1, 2020.
Elliot shared his new name with fans, adding that he uses both he/him and they/them pronouns.
They/them has a history as a singular pronound dating back some 700 years — in fact, “they” began to be used as a gender-neutral pronoun just around the time that “he” took on a masculine meaning and the pronoun “she” rose to prominence in English.
Choosing a new name for yourself can be daunting, but Elliot received many compliments for his selection.
“Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot,” he wrote last year.
“I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life,” he gushed, adding that he was feeling”overwhelming gratitude for the incredible people who have supported me along this journey.”
“I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self,” Elliot affirmed. “I’ve been endlessly inspired by so many in the trans community.”
“I am so proud of @elliotpage,” Emma wrote at the time of his coming out. “Trans, queer and non-binary people are a gift to this world.”
Emma added: “I also ask for patience & privacy but that you join me in the fervent support of trans life every single day.”
“Elliot’s existence is a gift in and of itself,” she concluded her tribute. “Shine on sweet E. Love you so much.”
TMZ reports that Elliot filed for divorce in Manhattan court.
Some are speculating that Elliot’s decision to come out may have been a factor in their divorce.
If so, that is not necessarily a bad thing — simply a fact of life.
There is no time limit or age limit on self-discovery, particularly in a world where people are widely assumed to be heterosexuality and cisgender by “default.”
Obviously, reality doesn’t work that way — but it can take years or even decades to unpackage one’s relationship with gender and sexuality.
Sometimes, married people find their or their partner’s gender isn’t what they had both believed, and they part with love. Other times, they break up for unrelated reasons. That’s part of life, too.
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