The news of Oscar-nominated actor Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page) revealing that he is transgender, has been met with tremendous support from the transgender community worldwide.
Here in North Bay, Seth Compton, founder of OutLoud North Bay, a community hub that offers peer support for LGBTQ youth says the news could be saving some lives.
"We were having that conversation about why we have the space here and sharing the conversations with all the kids and what freaks me out is the kids that I started seeing coming in, in early June to where they are now, I am like, how many lives have we saved," said Compton Wednesday afternoon.
See related: 'All my Love Elliot': Actor Page comes out as transgender
See related: Outloud North Bay celebrates its grand opening
Elliot Page, the star of “Juno," “Inception” and “The Umbrella Academy,” came out as transgender Tuesday in an announcement greeted as a watershed moment for the trans community in Hollywood.
“I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer," Page said in a statement on social media.
Page, the 33-year-old actor from Nova Scotia, said his decision to come out as trans, which also involved changing his first name, came after a long journey and with much support from the LGBTQ community.
Seth can relate to it through his own personal journey.
"When I talked to the kids about me coming out, I did not have anybody back then. Like we are talking the early 1990s, and Ellen did not come out until the late 1990s. Celebrities slowly started coming out after that. When you have celebrity status - when other people just like them are coming out, they don't care what profession they are in."
However, Seth noted a comment made by Elliot that "we have a lot of work to do," still stands out.
"In our community, there is a ton of support but you still have those old school people who think very differently and very old school that need to be educated," said Seth.
"We want to grow as a community and we do not want to go back in time. If we do not have that voice, and if we have no place to go, kids are going to take their lives because they don't feel loved the way they are."
With files from the Associated Press
