Should Elliot Page Give Up His Role In Umbrella Academy?

My weekly thought experiment about the confusing mess of identity politics and faux-liberal ideology.

There are some core differences between being anti-trans activist and being transphobic. Knowing the difference will help you with the rest of the article. Remember the penguin mantra — disagreement and dissent aren’t oppression even when it feels like it.

First things first. We need to talk about Elliot.

I’m on board with Elliot Page and I think he’s a good actor. I have zero problems with his continuing journey towards happiness in whatever form that takes. More power to you my friend. You rock.

The journey he’s been on isn’t one that many people on this planet will share and arguably a highly unenviable journey to take. Emotional, crushing and confusing in equal measure no doubt — though protected somewhat by his wealth and skin colour, it will only have taken the edge off.

Being trans in the modern world is both difficult and dangerous — don’t let anyone tell you anything different.

That duly acknowledged with many trans-rights issues, there’s a sensible centre-ground position called — ‘I just don’t know yet’ often overlooked in the cut and thrust of polemic thinking.

In this ideologically minded societal desire to paint everyone as a crusader or a villain, the embodiment of virtue or the epitome of vice, we lose sight of nuance in all discussions.

When it comes to certain aspects of trans-rights, I’m going to put my little Penguin hand up and say “I just don’t know yet.”

That doesn’t mean I don’t care or that I haven’t thought about it. I do and I have. It doesn’t mean I’d hate trans people to take up a place in a pluralistic society or that I want them beaten to death. That is usually inferred.

It means I haven’t yet got my head around a bucket load of the complicated issues yet. Things like sporting fairness for example. There’s always a scientific paper for such things — it concludes there isn’t enough research around trans-athletes and in the meantime most sports should work to be more inclusive.

That’s what I’d conclude because it sounds a lot like “I just don’t know yet” wrapped in academic language — with a general thrust to attempt inclusivity wherever possible.

I don’t think psychologists, paediatricians or wider society have enough information to make an informed decision about all matters. When this is the case we must tread carefully and err on the side of caution or we’ll do lots of damage to society and to vulnerable individuals.

What I do know for certain is that you can easily be labelled a transphobic monster for the temerity of vocalising such a position in the modern climate of ‘justice is exactly what I say it is’.

I regularly get labelled as transphobic (mostly by trans-activists) who don’t take well to being challenged about anything however reasonable and polite you happen to be. If I’m the poster-bird of oppressive rage then activists need to ask themselves some searching questions.

James Finn is well on his way into featuring in my whack-a-woke series after a particularly petulant outburst.

Back to Elliot Page

The happiness I feel at reading about Elliot Page is mirrored by the despair I get from reading about Keira Bell. The difference between their personal circumstances and life satisfaction is profound and compelling.

The consequences of their two very different journeys seem to be a result of the speed of decision making and to a lesser extent the social and psychological pressure surrounding their decisions.

Much of Elliot’s story seems to be about gradual and slowly considered change over many years whilst Keira’s seems wrapped up in confirmation bias and echo-chamber thinking by professionals. People who should’ve been more diligent and shown far more professional curiosity than they did.

You can read an excellent interview with Keira here.

When I put these three stories together and consider them carefully I conclude the situation is very complicated and needs extricating from a whole host of other related issues.

I say this as someone who studied developmental psychology and who has worked with complex children for many years. If I don’t know yet then I’m not sure why everyone else has concluded discussions and gone off for half-time oranges and a rest.

I’d suggest those people who declare trans-people to be abhorrent and against the laws of nature haven’t considered their position enough. Or perhaps considered it through a very narrow lens that doesn’t reflect the true complexity of the human condition.

If you’re sending death threats to ten-year olds some introspection may help to conclude you aren’t the unquestionable ‘voice for good’ you think you might be. For reference the last time I threatened to kill a ten year old I was also ten and the girl in question had broken my Captain Planet lunchbox.

Now, before all the conservatives jump into the comments box to slap me around it’s also important to acknowledge that trans-activists shouting at everyone from their subjective position of outrage haven’t thought it through either.

Most human beings don’t understand their own thought processes — let alone everyone else’s. Knee jerk projected anger requires therapeutic input, not a platform, megaphone and pluralistic ignorance. Being trans doesn’t mean you automatically have the solution — it’s perfectly possible to be trans and wrong.

And that’s the issue. An emergent set of voices has conflated demands for basic human decency on the one hand with vociferous policing of pronouns and social discourse on the other. I remain unconvinced about the progressive nature of such progressives when it comes to enacting the change they want and that many trans-people desperately need.

I’ll say it again in bold.

The push for acceptance of trans-people in a tolerant pluralistic society cannot be conflated with all other issues about trans-rights.

The Umbrella Academy — Your test case in Identity Politics stupidity

Ready for the confusing woke activist view complete with identity politics mess? Good. Buckle up, this one’s a fun ride.

Elliot Page has changed their pronouns. Eliott Page is a trans-person and always has been. Good for him but HE cannot continue to play Vanessa Hargreaves in Umbrella Academy.

The first law of activism suggests people should only play parts according to their race, sexuality and or gender identification. This is how we create equality and mandate representation. To invite a cis-actor to play a trans-character is morally dubious at best and must be stopped.

The reverse must also apply, what can a trans-actor know about being Cis?

The character of Vanessa Hargreaves is a cis-female character and requires a cis-female actress to portray her. Elliot, of his own accord, is no longer this person and therefore must be replaced. To continue to dress as a cis-female character is detrimental to the trans-community and to cis-women.

It is in fact another fine example of the patriarchy in action. By donning a female costume, Elliot is effectively performing a drag-act in place of a female actor. A job that should rightly belong to someone who identifies as a woman and ideally to keep the world in balance… Laverne Cox.

That Elliot thinks he can continue to play Vanessa Hargreaves is misogynist and runs counter to the demands for REAL gender equality.

Something doesn’t feel right…

What do you mean it doesn’t sit right with you? You don’t want to berate a trans-icon in front of all your friends as part of a confusing period of ideological self-immolation?

If you consider yourself a woke trans-ally activist, you’d better start arguing those perfectly valid points as they’re in line with the received wisdom of identity politics. Some of those arguments have been used with reckless abandon over the last three or four years.

Consider that maybe you have been pushing the nuances of this discussion in discordant, contradictory and stupid directions. You did it because you felt it was the morally correct thing to do.

Except morality isn’t that simple.

You might get labelled as a TERF if you try and push women's rights ahead of Elliot Page’s career, doing so would ensure you become an absolute J.K Rowling.

Poor Joanne. So pleased with herself for playing identity politics via gay Dumbledore and BIPOC Hermione, she didn’t notice the box she was opening was marked ‘Property of Pandora’. I have little sympathy. Not because I think she’s transphobic (I don’t) — but because I think she’s an idiot.

It was only a matter of time with an issue as complicated as trans-rights that the groups splintered and started fighting each other. Now the LGB are battling the T in some quarters, alongside the TERFs and the SMURFS. I may have made the SMURFS up — but for a second there you wondered if you were missing an acronym didn’t you?

Now tell me again how faux liberalism and identity politics isn’t a ridiculous shit-show of never ending acceptance and meaningless labels.

Small blue men aside, back to the point at hand.

Trans-characters should ALWAYS be played by trans-actors was always a ridiculous assertion. For one thing it logically follows that trans-actors can’t play cis-characters, which when you stop to think about it for more than a nano-second, of course they can.

Such an argument puts trans-actors out of the running for 95% of the roles available — classic own goal. There’s some advantage to having experienced the emotional journey your characters have, but it’s not the be-all and end-all of acting.

Actors are paid to pretend. Good actors do research. Good Cis actors playing trans-characters would do a lot of research. Good actors play human truth. Nothing about your gender, genitals or sexuality impacts your ability to perform a character.

Human truth underpins every genital arrangement.

Play whatever you like on film and if you can’t or don’t put in the research you’ll be slammed in the reviews. See Maddie Ziegler for a timely example on this.

If an actor has done a bad job then criticism is due. If they happen to be a trans-actor its neither here nor there. It’s not transphobic to turn a trans-actor away from a part as a trans-character on the basis of their lack of talent.

Being denied a place to exist in a pluralistic society is transphobia. Being unable to audition because you’re trans is discrimination. Not getting a part because you don’t have the correct ‘look’— that’s complicated and needs discussion. Not getting said part because you were out-acted by a cis-actor… that’s sulking and you need to grow up.

I’m on board with getting rid of transphobia when it stops people from integrating into a liberal society. I’m not on board for using ridiculous arguments to socially engineer half-assed, badly thought-out solutions in a semi-whimsical way.

That makes a mess.

Demands for equity and equality of representation in the arts are different. The former gets a thumbs up from Penguin, the latter does not. Why not? Equality cannot be easily mandated and when it is the results often lead to tyranny and resentment.

The most important thing about an actor is whether they can do the job in front of them. Elliot can. That’s why he’s playing Vanessa Hargreaves and why he should continue to play her in Umbrella Academy for the foreseeable.

Yes, we need more trans-actors and no we don’t need to shoehorn them into position on a wave of self-defeating collective guilt. We don’t need to give minority groups a patronising pass in this way — we just need to argue for equity and fairness.

The best trans-actors are likely already in the industry whether we know it or not — Elliot is.

Here’s the Penguin viewpoint of Elliot Page

Elliot Page is a fabulous actor and a fabulous human. I couldn’t give a crap about the assignment of his gender, the arrangement of his genitals and who he wants or doesn’t want to take to bed. That’s his business and I’m a liberal — so as long as its not an animal, a corpse, a member of his family or a child, we’re all good.

Furthermore Eliott seems exactly like the sort of person I could go for a drink with and the sort of person who wouldn’t jump down my throat if I accidentally misgendered him in conversation.

Which I will try not to do — but hey I’m not perfect.

And in my defence, he’s spent a long time identifying in a different way that I’ve become accustomed to over the last 20 years of his career. I don’t want to cause him any undue distress, but fallibility is built into the human and penguin condition.

Maybe I’m wrong, maybe he’s an asshat and I’m misreading the situation because I don’t know him. I get a generally cool vibe from him when he speaks. I got the same vibe before he became Elliot and for the record I would have gone for a drink with Ellen Page too.

Outrage! I just did the dead-name thing… But in my defence the guy made a fuck tonne of awesome movies playing female characters. I don’t want to pretend those don’t exist… I’m not going to bin my copy of Juno because it’s now offensive and he’s ‘dead-named’ in the credits.

And if he’s so traumatised by previously playing a woman, why would he carry on doing so in Umbrella Academy? Such nonsensical arguments lead precisely nowhere.

Simply put, the guy used to identify as a gal, now he’s not doing so and I’m fine with what that means for him and me. He was great then and he’s great now.

See? You can be pro-trans inclusion and anti-trans activist. Who knew!

The problem with woke arguments

Unlike Elliot, woke arguments aren’t great. They don’t give a cool vibe. They’re stupid, pointless and counter-productive. Pointing out that an idiot is in fact an idiot isn’t an act of oppression, it’s a public service.

I will advocate for equity but I’m also going to point out problematic and idiotic identity politics arguments when I see them. It doesn’t matter what the speaker’s genital arrangement or gender happens to be.

See that? Not denigrating or exalting people for who they are and instead considering what they say. That’s equity and inclusion in action. Nothing about those two ideals suggest I have to be nice.

If you came here for the transphobia, I’m sorry to disappoint you. If you came here for the flag-waving woke-inspired trans-activism, I’m also sorry to disappoint you. I‘m not very good at either. That’s because they’re extremes and I like the centre ground.

The centre ground involves hoping some of my screenplays end up in the hands of someone as cool as Elliot Page and I get to go for a drink with him.

Sensible liberals like me think the best thing we can possibly aim for is a harmonious society. One where everyone can get on with debating complicated things like adults, free from angry toddlers in adult skin suits.

The sort of society where it’s okay to say ‘this is a difficult set of issues and we need time to think about it’. Such a thing isn’t indicative of hatred, it’s a perfectly valid position for a liberal to take when they want to minimise harm and suffering across the board.

From where I’m sitting the two groups preventing civil discourse are genuine hate-mongers and social justice activists.

The former will die out under the tide of progress and the general tendency of humans to move into tolerance. That’s what happens. There are enough well-meaning moderates humans (and penguins) who will make that world happen, albeit slower than many of us would want.

The latter need to be curtailed from their dangerous and intolerant rhetoric. If you’re trans and reading this article, ask your most vocal friends to stop running around with sharp arguments they don’t fully understand. They’re going to slip over and hurt themselves (and you) in the process.

Here’s where you’re being done a huge disservice as individuals. The saccharin simpering of the faux liberal community outflanking each other with non-offence is disingenuous. It feels wrong. It is wrong.

Human beings are mean, self-centred, capricious, spiteful, hate-filled, bigoted, pushy, annoying and stupid. If you’re in a community that refuses to acknowledge those traits in you, you’re not in a community, you’re in a support group.

When you do step out of that group, you’ll be hit by the articulated truck of reality. Stay in there too long your anxiety about taking up a place in a messy society of mixed competing factions will cripple you. You’ll never leave your echo chamber, you’ll never grow.

When, as a closed group, you get to a psychological space where you see only persecution in benevolent questioning, the world will become an unbearable hell-scape of your own devising.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Faux liberalism is a drug that marginalised groups find addictive and whilst you’re shooting up on the serotonin of a lefty-love-in there’s wider problem brewing beyond your bubble. Moderates feeling brow-beaten by rage-filled activists and confusing demands for equality (rather than equity) seek refuge in the certainties offered by Conservatism.

Trust me when I say that doesn’t work in your favour either.

Looking for a more nuanced and openly trans-perspective on this? I’ve got someone lined up and ready for you to read. Enjoy.

Want more controversial articles from your favourite ornithological contrarian? Got you covered.