Tank Top Elliot

Look, obviously men are not the main focus of Surrenders. But it’s Tuesday and he looks great in a tank top so we’ll make an exception for Elliot Page. The actor has a cover story in this month’s Esquire talking about his new “gender euphoria,” which honestly — how great is that term? We should all feel euphoric about our genders, and euphoric about other people getting to feel euphoric about their genders too. It’s hard enough living in our bodies when we feel our given genders actually match how we feel inside about our actual genders. Imagine how much harder it must be if they do not.

Which makes the massive hate and downright villainy cast on the transgender/genderqueer community even more perplexing. How are possibly the most vulnerable among us, particularly for trans/genderqueer people of color, somehow the greatest evil/problem facing American schools, bathrooms and public spaces? Clearly, they’re not. They’re just human beings trying to live their lives in peace, like everyone. But this one political party (it’s Republicans) has decided that stoking fear and pitting humans against other humans is the best way to get votes, make money and stay in power. So, there’s that. This party also, by the way, wants to mandate inspection of children’s genitals to ensure no one child is trying the transition. And they (it’s Republicans) keep calling us groomers.

Nothing is new about this kind of hatred except the speed and ease at which it is disseminated now thanks to social media and, again, this one political party (again, it’s Republicans) making trans people the latest wedge issue to get them votes.

Anyway, all of this is just a long way of saying I am very happy for Elliot and the joy he feels with how he and the world see him now. And I’m also impressed by the hot dirtbag aesthetic he is cultivating here. Tattoos and tank tops and so many abs, oh my.