Elliot Page tells ‘trans youth’ there’s ‘nothing wrong with you’ while promoting queer-animal doc

“The Odyssey” star Elliot Page is offering words of encouragement to “trans youth,” telling them in a new interview that “there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you.”

Mr. Page, who came out as transgender in December 2020 and was previously known as Ellen Page, made the remarks while promoting a new documentary called “Second Nature,” which focuses on what its producers describe as gender fluidity and same-sex behavior in the animal kingdom.

“It’s been quite the journey to find myself in this position. I want to send my love to anyone who’s struggling right now,” Mr. Page said. “Sometimes, I have days where I feel less brave and overwhelmed. When I have those moments, I think about all of the people who’ve come before and dealt with so much cruelty. They continued to move through the world and pushed to create a space where I could exist. I’d say that’s a great space to pull inspiration from. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you.”

“Second Nature,” directed by Drew Denny, profiles scientists who study more than 1,500 animal species that the filmmakers say engage in same-sex sexual behavior and parenting, change sex or form matriarchal social structures. Mr. Page, who narrates and co-produced the film, told People magazine in an interview republished by AOL that he hoped the project would prompt a “ripple effect of conversation” about what he characterized as censorship of scientific research into animal behavior.

The Canadian-born actor first announced his transition on social media in December 2020, writing, “I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot.”