Nikkie de Jager and 5 other YouTube influencers who have opened up on video about their transgender and LGBTQ+ journeys

Although Nikkie said that finally opening up to her 12.7 million strong audience was “liberating”, she also said that she was blackmailed about her identity – which led her to film a “coming out” video on her own terms. The video has garnered over 14 million views, most of which have been supportive.

One Twitter user commented, “Love you Nikkie! You’re a beautiful soul and deserve the world. And to the person trying to blackmail you? May they stub their toe every day. In the same spot.”

Another wrote, “I came out to my family a few months ago, and I remember how great/terrifying it felt to finally say it. I wish you could have done it on your own terms but I’m still happy for you.”

NikkieTutorials is not the first transgender influencer to speak up about her experience with gender identity. While traditional media has been lagging behind in LGBTQ+ representation, the world of YouTube and social media celebrity has helped pave the way for transgender visibility.

Here are five other influencers who have opened up about their transgender journey.

Julie Vu

Julie Vu, better known by her YouTube channel Princess Joules, has been public about her transition as a transgender woman since she started on YouTube eight years ago.

The Canadian YouTuber has 533,000 subscribers and responded to NikkieTutorials coming out by commending her fellow make-up guru for her openness.

Julie’s refreshing videos about being a transgender woman, as well as her incredible make-up skills, have made her a must-watch.

Parker Jeydon Wale

The Canadian YouTube vlogger opened up to his audience in November 2016 with the video, I’m Transgender.

“I love and accept myself to the point where I can finally talk about this,” says the 28-year-old YouTube star, who has 917,000 subscribers.

Wale, who is a female-to-male transgender man, spoke about the bullying and depression he experienced before he was able to undergo his transition.

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“I was trapped in my body,” he remarks in his ‘coming out’ video, “And it honestly felt like a nightmare that was never going to end.”

The video was released to commemorate Wale’s ninth anniversary on YouTube as he credits the community and his subscribers for allowing him to be himself.

Wale celebrated his 12th year on YouTube in November 2019.

Nikita Dragun

With 2.62 million subscribers on YouTube, Nikita Dragun is one of the most popular beauty gurus online. The 23-year-old has been public about her transition from male to female online since 2015, when she posted an emotional and inspiring video titled, I am transgender.

Since then, Nikita has been forthright about her experiences as a transgender woman, publishing videos like ASKING STRANGERS IF THEY THINK I’M … [TRANSGENDER] and My Facial Plastic Surgery Story, which has garnered over 6.3 million views.

Nikita started her own beauty line, Dragun Beauty, in March 2019, geared towards the mainstream market and the transgender community.

On Instagram, she wrote: “to be a Trans Female CEO running my own beauty company for Trans people and all people has been a dream come true! this palette was created by me to give u the ability to create ur own beauty!”

Jazz Jennings

Not only has this girl managed to garner a substantial following on YouTube (over 670,000 followers), she’s also made waves on the television circuit.

The 17-year-old has her own TLC series, I am Jazz, which debuted in 2015 and documents her journey as a transgender teenage girl in public view.

In the TLC series, one viral clip shows Jennings going toe-to-toe with Tomi Lahren, the American conservative political commentator who formerly hosted TheBlaze. Lahren questioned Jennings about why gender confirmation surgery was so necessary for transgender individuals, to which Jennings responded:

“So personally I just feel uncomfortable in my body, the same way you would feel uncomfortable in your body if you had the wrong genitals. And, for me, I completely have a girl mind and brain, express myself as a woman, and when my body doesn’t match that, I feel trapped.”

Jennings completed her gender confirmation surgery in October 2018, and posted on Instagram to show off her “battle scars”.

Miles McKenna

It’s not surprising why MilesChronicles has around 1.8 million followers: the 23-year-old YouTuber is funny, energetic and inspiringly honest about their transition and all things LGBTQ+.

Miles, who identifies as transgender non-binary, clarifies their experience with their identity in a YouTube video from two years ago titled So I’m Trans. Miles states that they realised there was a crisis of identity when a friend described Miles as “just a boy trapped in a girl’s body”.

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“Gender just does not exist in my world and, if it exists in yours, then I don’t want to be in it,” they go on to say in their YouTube video.

“It’s so much better to just be you.”

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