Twitter removes Elliot Page's deadname after it started trending online

6 July 2022, 12:26

Elliot Page opens up about Viktor coming out as trans in The Umbrella Academy

By Jazmin Duribe

Elliot started trending after Jordan Peterson was suspended for his transphobic tweet.

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Twitter has removed Elliot Page's deadname after it was listed under the site's trending tab for at least 45 minutes.

Deadnaming is when someone refers to a transgender or non-binary person by the name they used before their transition (The Umbrella Academy actor, who uses he/him and they/them pronouns, came out as trans in 2020 and started using the name Elliot.)

Elliot's deadname started trending because of the transphobic trolling sparked by right-wing psychologist Jordan Peterson. Last month, Peterson's Twitter account was suspended for violating "Twitter Rules on hateful conduct" after he repeatedly misgendered and deadnamed Elliot, claiming that he'd had his "breasts removed by a criminal physician".

Peterson's suspension angered a number of conservatives who started to harass Elliot by continuously using their deadname, leading to their name trending online.

Elliot Page fans defend him after his deadname trends online. Picture: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images, @elliotpage via Instagram

Twitter spokesperson Trenton Kennedy later told Buzzfeed News that the site had removed Elliot's deadname as a trending topic because it violates Twitter's hateful conduct policy, which prohibits users from "targeting others with repeated slurs, tropes or other content that intends to dehumanize, degrade or reinforce negative or harmful stereotypes about a protected category. This includes targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals".

The statement read: "The term you referenced should not have been allowed to appear in Trends, and it has since been removed and prohibited from appearing in Trends. Our teams are constantly evaluating our internal processes for mitigating this from happening."

wish everyone deadnaming Elliot Page this morning a very choke on a bag of dicks and die and go to hell
— daria argento (@mommywiseau) July 5, 2022

it's really sad that Elliot Page is now being used as this culture war beachhead that these transphobic grifters can now continually assault in the name of tech censorship martyrdom

just let the guy act in movies and mind your fuckin business, and you won't have a problem
— Rob (@robrousseau) July 5, 2022

It costs you nothing to be kind and respectful. It's Elliot Page.
— Adam Music (@MusicAdamT) July 5, 2022

Dave Rubin got suspended for deadnaming Elliot Page. Page's power for driving the worst people off this site is amazing.
— Trekkie Bill 🖖 (@trekkiebill) July 5, 2022

If you could handle the change from Lou Alcindor to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the change from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali—both after they were already public figures—you can handle the change from Ellen Page to Elliot Page. I promise, you'll be OK. It doesn't actualy affect you.
— Nicholas Grossman (@NGrossman81) July 5, 2022

Funniest thing about all these conservative pundits having full blown meltdowns over Elliot Page is that he hasn't said or done anything.

Hasn't responded. Hasn't tweeted. Dude's just living his best life and lives rent free in all their heads doing untold psychic damage.
— literal dilf (@JezButt91) July 6, 2022

"Elliot Page" later started trending but this time people were sharing tweets of support.

One person said: "Wish everyone deadnaming Elliot Page this morning a very choke on a bag of dicks and die and go to hell."

Another tweeted: "It's really sad that Elliot Page is now being used as this culture war beachhead that these transphobic grifters can now continually assault in the name of tech censorship martyrdom. Just let the guy act in movies and mind your fuckin business, and you won't have a problem."

Elliot hasn't addressed any of the hate but we will update you if he does.