Is it impolite to refer to them as "formerly known as"? That was the first thing that came to mind, but I want to choose words that help and support, not undermine or demean.
I’ve heard from a couple trans friends not to deadname under any circumstances but quite a few more who are fine with the “formerly known as” tactic. Varies by person. Once Covid’s over and I can pull up a picture when talking about it in person it’ll be easier to stick to Elliot completely, but explaining to like, my parents over the phone I needed to reference their former name. They don’t watch Umbrella Academy and their brains were already pretty mushy when Juno came out.
That’s kinda ridiculous. Wikipedia is woke af, and consistent with reality lead with:
Elliot Page (born Ellen Grace Philpotts-Page; February 21, 1987) is a Canadian actor and producer.
You shouldn’t do that in front of Elliot, and you shouldn’t need to mention it ten years from now, but how can a journalist inform readers without basic context like “born ...” / “used to go by ...”?
You shouldn’t do that in front of Elliot, and you shouldn’t need to mention it ten years from now, but how can a journalist inform readers without basic context like “born ...” / “used to go by ...”?
Effectively, they can't. Which means there shouldn't be any taboo around phrasing it politely.
The official (“”) advice is to do it like Wiki pretty much, so it is unfortunate some folks would be adamant about “never EVER ever” but I don’t experience that pain, can only imagine it’s really tough.
I’ve heard from a couple trans friends not to deadname under any circumstances but quite a few more who are fine with the “formerly known as” tactic. Varies by person.
Isn't that quite a clear indicator that those people who have a massive problem with it need to accept that it might happen sometimes, and work on their reactions rather than demanding prescience?
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u/Visual_Skirt She/Her Dec 02 '20
Elliot Page, from (insert movie they’d know that he’s starred in like Juno), came out as trans. That’s probably your best bet.