Elliot Page, who rose to fame as the lead in teen pregnancy comedy Juno as Ellen Page, has announced he is transgender.

“Hi friends,” he wrote on a variety of social media platforms, “I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot.”

He continued: “I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life. I feel 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. I’ve been endlessly inspired by so many in the trans community. Thank you for your courage, your generosity and ceaselessly working to make this world a more inclusive and compassionate place. I will offer whatever support I can and continue to strive for a more loving and equal society.

The actor also spoke of his fear in coming out and highlighted the difficulties faced by less privileged people who have done the same. “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.

“The statistics are staggering. The discrimination towards trans people is rife, insidious and cruel, resulting in horrific consequences. In 2020 alone it has been reported that at least 40 transgender people have been murdered, the majority of which were Black and Latinx trans women.”

The actor continued with a robust condemnation of what he perceived as cultural and institutional prejudice against trans people, saying those in positions of power or influence who use their platforms to “spew hostility” have “blood on your hands”.

“To the political leaders who work to criminalize trans healthcare and deny our right to exist and to all of those with a massive platform who continue to spew hostility towards the trans community: you have blood on your hands. You unleash a fury of vile and demeaning rage that lands on the shoulders of the trans community, a community in which 40% of trans adults report attempting suicide. Enough is enough. You aren’t being “cancelled,” you are hurting people. I am one of those people and we won’t be silent in the face of your attacks.”

Page concluded: “I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer. And the more I hold myself close and fully embrace who I am, the more I dream, the more my heart grows and the more I thrive. To all the trans people who deal with harassment, self-loathing, abuse, and the threat of violence every day: I see you, I love you, and I will do everything I can to change this world for the better.”

Page, now 33, had his breakthrough in 2005 thriller Hard Candy before finding international acclaim in Juno, the hit comedy about a teenage girl who decides to proceed with her unwanted pregnancy and find adoptive parents for her unborn child.

Page won an Oscar nomination for his performance in the Diablo Cody-scripted film, directed by Jason Reitman.

Other key films include Christopher Nolan’s Inception, Drew Barrymore’s Whip It and a recurring role as Kitty Pryde in the X-Men series. More recently, Page played Vanya Hargreeves in Netflix series The Umbrella Academy.

On Tuesday, Netflix confirmed that the character would not change gender in future episodes, and that they were in the process of updating the credits and metadata of Page’s back catalogue of films which screen on the streaming service.

Page came out as gay in a speech on Valentine’s Day 2014 and two years later alleged that the film-maker Brett Ratner had outed him against his will aged 18 on the set of X-Men: The Last Stand – an allegation corroborated by the actor Anna Paquin, who was present at the time.

Page has been a vocal advocate for LGBT rights over the past decade and in January 2018 married the dancer and choreographer Emma Portner.

Nick Adams, GLAAD’s Director of Transgender Media, said “Elliot Page has given us fantastic characters on-screen, and has been an outspoken advocate for all LGBTQ people. He will now be an inspiration to countless trans and non-binary people. All transgender people deserve the chance to be ourselves and to be accepted for who we are. We celebrate the remarkable Elliot Page today.”