Welcome, Elliot Page

“Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am Trans,” the Oscar-nominated actor Elliot Page shared with his 3.1 million followers on Instagram on Tuesday. “My pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot. I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life.”

“I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self,” he added. In a separate note, GLAAD adds that Page identifies as transgender and non-binary.

Page first came to critical notice for his role in the 2005 thriller Hard Candy, but truly broke through with the lead role in the Diablo Cody-written film Juno, for which he was nominated for an Oscar at just 20 years old. Page has also starred in the X-Men movies as Kitty Pryde, and currently stars on Netflix’s hit superhero show The Umbrella Academy.

Page had come out in 2014 as gay in a speech at a Human Rights Campaign conference. Later, he’d discuss his experience of being outed on the set of one of the X-Men films at just 18 years old by director Brett Ratner.

Page will become one of the most high-profile figures in the public eye to transition, and his letter pleads for both patience and understanding for himself and the trans community.

“I also ask for patience. My joy is real, but it is also fragile. The truth is, despite feeling profoundly happy right now and knowing how much privilege I carry, I am also scared. I’m scared of the invasiveness, the hate, the “jokes,” and of violence. To be clear, I am not trying to dampen a moment that is joyous and one that I celebrate, but I want to address the full picture.”

Page’s note was greeted with supportive comments from friends and co-stars past and present, including The Umbrella Academy‘s Justin Lin, Kate Mara, Julianna Barwick, Miley Cyrus, Abbi Jacobson, and Juno director Jason Reitman, who wrote, “We love you Elliot!”