It’s been an incredibly disruptive and turbulent past few months, what with the fight to end racial injustice, and the coronavirus pandemic. But at last, we have some great news: Firing someone for being gay or transgender is now officially illegal in the U.S.
On June 15th 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 totally protects workers against this type of discrimination. It’s a decision that couldn’t have come at a better time because right now, it’s Pride Month in the USA. And to commemorate that fact, millions of people are celebrating the decision, with LGBTQ communities across the country are attending (often virtual) parties, parades, workshops, concerts, and more.
But while there are celebrations to be had, Pride Month has its own deeper historical significance. One of which is to memorialize the 1969 Stonewall riots, which set a firecracker under the gay liberation movement.
On YouTube, the result of these triumphs is clear. Every day, more creators feel empowered to celebrate their sexual/gender identity before millions of viewers. It’s an incredible thing to witness because hands down, there’s no greater joy than living an authentic life.
To celebrate those who do that extremely well, we’re here to uplift some amazing YouTubers. Coming right up, here are three creators who make the LGBTQIA community proud, day in, and day out.
Kat Blaque is a transgender activist, as well as a talented illustrator. On her YouTube channel, she boldly uploads videos about race, sex positivity, gender, art, and more.
Never one to shy away from tough conversations, she makes videos most people wouldn’t have the nerve to share on the internet, such as “The Real Reason Men Like Trans Women” and “Am I Too Sex Positive” (see below).
It’s fearless content like this that makes Kat Blaque a gift to the LGBTQ community. One of her best contributions is her ability to champion transgender women while refusing to succumb to one, constricting identity.
For example, Kat is a Black trans woman, but as you’ll discover when watching her videos, she doesn’t feel the need to choose one identity over the other. And while the world may want that, Kat is not giving in to societal pressure. In the intro of her video, “Do I Even Belong In The Black Community?”, she states:
“I think sometimes when you’re LGBTQIA+ and you’re Black, you feel like you have to choose between being Black or LGBTQIA. You feel that way because a lot of Black people’s attitudes toward it is, ‘Oh, we don’t do that.”
Luckily for us, Kat does. Judging by her content, she seems to be secure in her Pride - and the LGBTQ community needs people like her to look up to.
In addition to a vlog channel with over 9.3M subscribers and 2B views, long-time YouTube creator Joey Graceffa runs a gaming channel with 2.65M subscribers. Almost daily, he uploads fun streams from popular titles such as Minecraft, Roblox, and The Sims.
Joey, who identifies as gay and who came out publically in May 2015, uploads insanely fun gameplay.
One thing that stands out about Joey and his videos is that you don’t have to be a hardcore gamer to enjoy them. He mostly plays Minecraft, and seasoned gamers as well as newcomers will appreciate the light-hearted commentary in his streams.
In one such video (above), fed up with the state of his Minecraft farm, Joey chops down a massive sugarcane field. As a viewer, seeing the giant stalks come down is immensely satisfying, but not as much as Joey’s reaction to it all.
With a YouTube channel that's generated over 2.4M subscribers, and 333M views, Hannah Hart has a powerful platform to discuss, promote, and celebrate LGBTQ topics.
Much of her content videos speak directly to the LGBTQ+ community, including a Playlist titled LGBT+ which, to date, houses 37 of those videos. Between topics like “Dating a Bisexual,” “How to Ask If A Girl Is Gay,” and "Perks of Dating a Girl," (below), the list of videos in this Playlist is pretty comprehensive.
That alone makes Hannah Hart an inspiring queer creator. She’s loud and proud about who she is (an engaged lesbian), and her content aims to either inform or entertain members of the LGBTQ community.
As Pride month continues, give the YouTube channels of these creators a visit, as well as any others that inspire you. These three are pretty awesome themselves, but there are plenty more to celebrate all year long.
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Lydia Sweatt is a writer, bookworm, and bass guitar enthusiast. When she goes outside, a bicycle goes with her.
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