Ahead of the release of his memoir, Pageboy, actor Elliot Page revealed that he was the victim of an anti-trans attack last year. Page, who came out as transgender in December 2020, told the Los Angeles Times that a man approached him and made violent threats using anti-trans and anti-gay language. Right-wing media are denying the attack ever happened, despite relentlessly stoking violence against the LGBTQ community.

In his account of the attack, Page described walking down a Los Angeles street, heading to a convenience store, when a stranger approached him. The attacker reportedly yelled, “I’m going to f---ing gay bash you,” at Page, followed by, “This is why I need a gun!” Page was able to run to the convenience store, where employees rushed him inside.

Right-wing media have hastened to discredit Page’s story. Many have compared him to Jussie Smollett, an actor who infamously lied about experiencing a racist and homophobic hate crime in 2019. The assumption that Page must necessarily be lying because Smollett did is unfair and illogical, and it’s additionally absurd for these figures to question the likelihood of anti-trans violence given the rampant anti-trans rhetoric they have pushed, which has encouraged violence.

Right-wing media have created quite the paradox: They relentlessly demonize and attack trans people, and then claim that violent hatred against the group doesn’t exist.

Some of the individuals mocking Page have referred to “transgenderism” as something that needs to be “eradicated” or “destroyed entirely.” Others have described gender dysphoria as “mental malaise” and referred to “trans … infiltration” on TikTok. At the same time, they claim that violence experienced by the trans community is fictionalized.

Right-wing media have repeatedly cast doubt on Page’s story and compared him to Smollett:

• The Daily Caller included Page’s deadname in the title of an article that consistently misgenders him,  referring to him as a “female who identifies as a transgender man,” and promoted 12 tweets from right-wing accounts mocking the actor.
• Twitchy wrote that Page’s story “hilariously sets off BS detectors” and then claimed, “Long story short, seems like nobody buys it.” The publication mockingly compared his story to that of Smollett’s attack.
• In an article mentioning Page’s deadname and referring to him as a “supporter” of Smollett, RedState questioned the actor’s credibility and claimed “there are questions” about the attack.
• PJ Media deadnamed Page and used the story to parrot a right-wing talking point about crime in cities run by Democrats while also casting doubt on Page’s claim, writing, “Rampant crime in liberal-controlled cities is hardly shocking" and that the details of his story raised "some red flags.”
• Townhall referred to the attacker’s threatening language as “an oddly specific diatribe” and also claimed that “if a liberal feels uncomfortable in a city dominated by Democrats virtually since Kennedy was president, no place is safe.”
• In an article with “Smells Fishy” in the title, The Daily Wire wrote that Page’s “claim has been met with skepticism online, where Page has been compared to disgraced actor Jussie Smollett.”
• On Louder with Crowder, host Steven Crowder spent an entire segment continuously misgendering Page and alleging that he’s fabricating the details of his attack. When reacting to Page’s account of his attack, Crowder said, “When the story reads like every single ‘homophobic’ or ‘racist’ character in a film where you’re like, that’s too on-the-nose, immediately my antenna go up.” Crowder is no stranger to transphobia and racism, repeatedly drawing criticism for vile rhetoric, which has resulted in multiple strikes and suspensions from YouTube.
• The Washington Free Beacon’s Chuck Ross tweeted, “They were also overheard shouting ‘This is MAGA country!’" referencing what Smollett claimed was shouted at him during his alleged attack.
• Commentator Ian Miles Cheong poked fun at Page’s account of his attack, tweeting, “Los Angeles is inhospitable to the trans community. Page’s attackers reportedly said ‘Welcome to Magadonia.’”
• On Twitter, the Heritage Foundation’s Derek Hunter both deadnamed Page and referred to him as “Smollett” in attempts to minimize his account of the attack.
• The Spectator’s Chadwick Moore tweeted, “Did they leave behind a noose and two Nigerian passports?” referring to other situations that right-wing media have alleged were hoaxes, including Smollett’s alleged attack by two brothers originally from Nigeria and Nascar driver Bubba Wallace finding what appeared to be a noose in his garage stall. (The FBI later concluded that the rope had been there before Wallace was assigned to the stall.)
• MMA fighter Jake Shields compared Page’s account of his attack to Smollett’s, tweeting, “This is the equivalent of ‘you’re in MAGA country now.’”
• Daily Wire host Michael Knowles joked about Page’s attack, tweeting a photo of the men Smollett alleged attacked him and writing, “BREAKING: Police have released a sketch of Page's alleged attackers. If you have seen either of these men, please call 1-800-SUBWAY now!”
• On Twitter, Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro implied that the attack on Page had not occurred, citing the lack of a police report and tweeting, “Shocking how often this happens when celebrities claim victimhood.”
• In a series of tweets, right-wing commentator Matt Walsh said, “These people still haven’t figured out how to convincingly make up a story like this,” claiming that Page had fabricated his attack, and suggested that reports on Page’s attack are coming out now only in order to promote his upcoming memoir.
• Gateway Pundit exclusively misgendered Page while featuring a compilation of right-wing figures who had cast doubts on Page’s story.
• Infowars compiled right-wing figures’ online reactions to Page’s account of the attack that repeatedly deadnamed and misgendered him. Many of the featured tweets compared Page to Smollett and cast doubt on the credibility of his account.