Watch Elliot Page call out 'devastating' attacks on LGBTQ+ rights during the Juno Awards
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Elliot Page is once again using his platform to draw attention to the fight to maintain LGBTQ+ rights.
The actor took the stage at the Juno Awards over the weekend to present Tegan and Sara Quin with this year’s Humanitarian Award for the work done by their foundation to support LGBTQ+ lives and initiatives. And in introducing them, he took a moment to explain why this work is so crucial right now.
“We are at a time in history where the rights of 2SLGBTQ+ people are being revoked, restricted, and eliminated throughout the world,” Page said, calling the effects of this pattern “devastating.”
When Tegan and Sara came up to accept the award, they elaborated further.
“If the world were not so hostile to 2SLGBTQ+ people, we would see ourselves purely as musicians,” Sara said. “Advocating for our community’s rights is a great privilege, and we are dedicated to confronting any form of discrimination that threatens the well-being of our community. Threats like the Alberta government’s attempt to prevent trans youth from accessing vital care.”
The Alberta government recently proposed a slew of anti-trans policies, including prohibiting anyone under the age of 16 from being treated with puberty blockers or hormone therapy, which CBC notes would be the first ban of its kind in Canada.
“These attacks are harmful because they are directed at the kids who need our support the most,” Sara added.
Page previously slammed politicians for using misinformation and hateful rhetoric to demonize trans people’s existence.
“Everything that’s being said about us is all the same shit that was said about LGB people: pedophiles, mentally ill, should they be allowed in the changing rooms,” he wrote in a June 2022 essay for Esquire. “It’s the same. It’s the same. But the politicians are saying, Oh, shit! This is working! And that’s what’s scary.”
You can watch Page's full introduction and Tegan and Sara's acceptance speech below:
Tegan and Sara receive Humanitarian award | Juno Awards 2024
