By Alhi Leconte
YouTube is known as a method for people to cultivate an online following. Many use it to launch their careers. Others use it solely for the purposes of providing knowledge and entertainment for whoever would take interest in their personal experiences.
In recent years, YouTube has been a platform for transgender men and women to display many aspects of their lives. As transgender visibility in today’s society increases, YouTube viewers are able to gain trans education through trans YouTube personalities documenting things such as coming out, sex reassignment surgery, sexuality and more.
Giselle Lazzarato, known as internet personality Gigi Gorgeous, is noted for publicly coming out as a transgender woman and documenting her journey on her YouTube channel.
Earlier this year she shared her experiences in her documentary, “This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous,” on YouTube Red. It contained her dealing with hormone therapy, several surgeries, legally changing her name, and her family’s adjustment to her identity.
Transgender YouTube personalities’ channels benefit the general public by disclosing things that wouldn’t be possible to receive in the same manner elsewhere. Knowing the words and terms related to the struggles transgender people face is not the same as being given insight on matters exclusive to their lives.
Being so public with information used to educate and spread the awareness of such personal things unfortunately brings on an unwarranted amount of negativity. Feeling exposed in a way that you feel like you’re being put under a microscope obviously makes you feel vulnerable to so much judgement.
YouTubers who share so much of their lives often get harassed or cyber bullied under media culture. While being out, open and free with their transgender identities, YouTube personalities get such harsh criticism from transphobes for just broadcasting their lives.
It affects them, the people around them, their thoughts and actions as well. Regardless of how private YouTubers try to keep their lives, having thick skin is a necessity when dealing with mean comments and aggressive online trolls.
Alhi Leconte is a conttributer to the column Out+Proud which discusses issues and experiences relating to the LGBTQ+ community. This column does not reflect the views or opinions of FIU Student Media’s editorial board.
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