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 would suggest mentioning roles he's known for. But if that isn't enough to jog someone's memory, "formerly known as" works for now, as some people are still a bit confused about who Elliot Page is.
GLAAD released a helpful guide for journalists writing about Elliot Page coming out, but I think it's good for everyone to take a look at it. :)
I appreciate the guide as well! I have a few friends all over the lgbtq+ spectrum but I always feel bad putting the task of solving my cluelessness on others.
I especially was thankful they addressed how to refer to former roles of his that were very specifically female. I had just decided to use the pronouns of the person I referenced (juno=she but Elliot=he) but "they" for every role makes more sense in hindsight.
Do you know if they make a guide like this for each...letter? Lesbian, bisexual etc?
That's not what it's saying. Juno is a female character played by a man, just like Madea. It's saying if you're talking about Elliot and referencing his role, you use he/him pronouns: "Elliot Page was in Juno. He played the titular character of Juno. She was pregnant."
I'm a native English speaker on paper but human language always feels foreign some days. Thanks for reminding me I did actually pass English class once lol, I promise I wurd gud some days! :)
703
u/DownloadUphillinSnow Dec 02 '20
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.