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The View
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Elliot Page forgives his mother for her initial reaction when he tried to come out. Page, who appeared on today’s episode of The View to promote his new memoir, Pageboy, recalled trying to have conversations about his identity with his mom, Martha Philpotts, when he was younger. Page came out as lesbian in 2014 and publicly came out as transgender in 2020.
Page told the panel, “My earliest memories have always been surrounding gender,” explaining he felt “perplexed” with how he was being seen and “could not wrap [his] head around it.”
The actor said he was “incredibly closeted” while promoting his breakout film Juno, which premiered in 2007 when Page was 20 years old.
Sunny Hostin asked Page about his experience coming out, wondering what it must have felt like to try and open up to his mom, Philpotts, when she “pushed it away” every time he tried to mention the topic, as detailed in Pageboy.
Page assured Hostin that his mom is now “so supportive,” adding, “She couldn’t be more of an ally. She has educated herself and it’s like, I get it.”
Explaining that Philpotts was born in 1954 and raised by a minister father, Page told the panel, “Ultimately, so much of it came, I think, from a place of concern and love and wanting to protect you from the scary things in the world. Now, she couldn’t be more supportive of her son and I think in so many ways is relieved, because she really saw me struggle a lot.”
Page added, “Now she sees someone who is embodied and present and really getting to live their life for the first time.”
Whoopi Goldberg agreed, telling Page “there were no conversations like this” when ’50s babies” like herself and co-host Joy Behar were growing up. She then asked Page to share advice for parents like his own mom to “help them understand what they can do.”
Page replied, “Just listen, really listen to your child and listen to their feelings, and don’t try and shove them away, and don’t make them feel shame for who they are. Explore the possibilities, educate yourself. How glorious to be able to explore who they are.”
The View airs weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.
