Influencer Dylan Mulvaney has won the award for Breakout Creator at the 2023 Streamy awards.
And in her acceptance speech, the TikToker called out the avalanche of transphobia which she and other trans creators are exposed to online on a daily basis. She also urged cisgender allies to support their trans loved ones 'publicly and proudly'.
Mulvaney took to the stage in a stunning red satin mini-dress, and switched her classic hairstyle reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn for a gorgeous blonde look.
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Holding her award - which is one of the most sought after among content creators - on stage, Mulvaney took the opportunity to talk about the huge amount of hatred and abuse faced by the trans community and trans allies.
She said: “My life has been changed for the better. But also there’s been an extreme amount of transphobia and hate, and I know that my community is feeling it, and I know that even our allies are feeling it.”
The influencer went on to urge people to continue to support the trans community.
She said: “You need to support trans people publicly and proudly."
The creator added: “I think the trans community and the creator community actually have something in common. It’s that people often underestimate us.”
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Mulvaney rose to prominence online when she began a series documenting her transition. She would post a video for each day of her transition entitled 'Day [number] of being a girl', with special episodes for particular milestones such as her getting facial feminisation surgery.
Despite trolling from transphobic accounts, her sunny and cheerful theatre kid personality saw her rocket to fame on TikTok. She has since said she wants to move away from content about her trans identity on her platforms.
This comes after Mulvaney became the centre of a media storm when she made a post sponsored by Bud Light, which saw her drinking a can of the beer with her face on it.
The video was picked up by far right accounts and sparked an explosion of videos in which people destroyed Bud Light in all manner of creative ways.
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Mulvaney's sponsored video and the backlash were blamed for a drop in the share price of Bud Light owners Anheuser Busch. However, the company's share price has been on a steady decline since 2016.
Possible explanatory factors include fewer young people drinking beer, instead preferring other alcoholic beverages, as well as younger people drinking less alcohol overall.
Mulvaney signed off her speech with a cheeky reference to the storm of transphobia, along with her signature sign-off online, saying: “I’m gonna go have a beer and… I love ya.”
Topics: Dylan Mulvaney, LGBTQ, TikTok, Transgender, US News