Pageboy: A Memoir

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains detailed descriptions of self-harm, disordered eating, stalking, physical and sexual assault, emotional abuse, suicidal ideation, and anti-LGBTQ bias.

“This previously unimaginable contentment wouldn’t have arrived without the health care I’ve received, and as attacks against gender-affirming care increase, along with efforts to silence us, it feels like the right time to put words on a page.”

Elliot Page talks throughout Pageboy about the current state of transgender rights in America and emphasizes the importance of being able to find self-acceptance as well as societal acceptance. By writing his memoir, Page hopes to shed light on his experience of gender and speak up about the importance of gender-affirming care in a world that continues to deny transgender people their rights.

“These comments are emblematic of the Hollywood they warn you about. Plastic, empty, homophobic. Still, I wasn’t prepared or experienced enough to navigate this new fame alone.”

For much of Page’s life, he has had to deal with Anti-LGBTQ Sentiments in Hollywood and the gender expectations imposed by the industry. These expectations have shaped many of the negative experiences that he has had in the film industry, primarily resulting in gender dysphoria.

“This is something I’m asked frequently and not something I wish for during a casual night out. I’d experienced this inquiry as a queer woman, but as a trans guy it’s perpetual. Code for—I don’t believe you.”

Page’s journey of Self-Discovery and Self-Acceptance has been long and one that, as an actor, he had to do in the public eye. At various points in his memoir, people invalidate and deny his experiences. He reflects that this happens much more since he came out as trans, highlighting the struggle that many transgender people face. The relative acceptance that gay people have achieved is relatively new and still out of reach for transgender people in some parts of America.