Emma Portner took to Instagram on Tuesday to show support for her partner, the Umbrella Academy star Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page), for having the courage to come out as a transgender person.
Portner, who is a 26-year-old professional choreographer and dancer, shared her reaction to Page’s coming out with her more than 280,000 Instagram followers.
She reposted Page’s Instagram announcement and captioned it with a statement commending Page and saying she was “so proud” of him.
“I am so proud of @elliotpage. Trans, queer and non-binary people are a gift to this world. I also ask for patience & privacy but that you join me in the fervent support of trans life every single day. Elliot’s existence is a gift in and of itself. Shine on sweet E. Love you so much.”
Elliot Page came out as a transgender on social media
Portner’s Instagram post came after her partner, Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page) came out as a transgender person.
Page, 33, shared the coming-out message with his 3.5 million Instagram followers earlier on Tuesday. He informed his fans that he would now go by the name Elliot instead of Ellen.
“Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are are he/they and my name is Elliot,” Page wrote. ” I feel lucky to be writing this. To be there. To have arrived at this place in my life.”
He also posted the message to his Twitter page.
Elliot expressed his gratitude to those who have supported him. He also gave a shout out to members of the trans community, thanking them for their work “to make this world a more inclusive and compassionate place.”
He added that despite being happy about coming out, he was scared of the hate and violence against trans people.
Reactions on social media
Many of Portner and Page’s social media followers responded to their social media posts with encouraging words.
Page, 33, reacted to Portner’s post with red heart emojis.
Fans also took to Twitter to show their support.
Many praised Portner for her reaction to Page’s coming out as a transgender person. But, some argued that after marrying Page as a lesbian, Portner could face challenges adjusting to her partner’s new transgender identity.
But others pushed back against the suggestion, saying that Page’s announcement wouldn’t change much about their relationship.
Who is Emma Portner?
Emma Portner is a Canadian-born, award-winning professional dancer and choreographer.
She started her dancing career early, but got her big career break when she appeared in the music video for Justin Bieber’s Life is Worth Living, released in 2015.
She also created the choreography for the pop star’s 2016 Purpose World Tour in 2016.
According to her bio page on Broadway Dance Center’s website, Portner currently works as a dance and choreography instructor.
She has also won several awards and accolades, including the American Dance Awards’ Young Choreographer of the Year.
Portner and Page have shown their support for the LGBTQ community in the past.
They posted topless photos of themselves to celebrate Pride Month back in June 2019.
Page is known for playing Vanya in Umbrella Academy and for her starring role as Juno MacGuff in the 2007 film, Juno.
Portner and Page tied the knot back in January 2018, and they live in New York City.