YouTube has become a huge social media platform lately. It seems like everyone and their mom has a YouTube channel, where they're trying to become famous for their great content. It can be hard to find good YouTubers to watch, especially with so many "celebrity" YouTubers on the featured pages of YouTube. Over the years, I've found some really awesome and inspiring LGBTQ YouTubers that range in subscriber counts, but all have great messages in their content. There are so many famous and nonfamous YouTubers, so forgive me if I don't put in some really famous ones (like Tyler Oakley or Troye Sivan, we already know they're amazing) or if I miss any smaller channels. If you want to be inspired, check these people out.
This is Will (right) and RJ (left). They met and began dating in college in Tallahassee and moved out to L.A. together to pursue their dreams. Will is writing a book, has a Master's in Biostatistics and works at a company called FameBit. RJ is also a writer, an aspiring model and works at What's Trending. They were married earlier this month (the whole wedding was filmed and posted, go watch it and cry) and until recently, did daily vlogs for about five years. These two really show what a normal, loving and good life is for a same-sex couple and an adorable dog named Dobby. Through their videos, you can see the ups and downs of their lives and relationship, and become inspired by how they always end up as stronger people, and with a smile.
Make sure you also check out RJ's channel, where he makes funny and clever content on social issues such as being bisexual in a same-sex relationship, mental illness, YouTube culture and more.
This is Mark (standing) and Ethan (piggybacking). They are a same-sex couple who also met during college and live in Indiana together. Both film majors, their videos are visually stunning and fun to watch. Their content ranges between vlogs, challenge videos and using viewer photos to create timelapse videos. Mark starts many of his videos with the question: "Today is a great day, and do you know why?" to which Ethan (or someone else) will answer, "Because every day is a great day!" This positive message shines through their videos as they show the happiest and most positive parts of life through work, food, travel and more. They recently began a production company called "Everyday Productions," and I'm excited to see what they come up with next. It also does not hurt that they have a beautiful puppy called Olive (Ollie for short).
This is Maya. She is a young, transgender woman living in Canada. I've only started watching her channel in the last month, but from what I've seen she is a confident, smart and beautiful girl who is very open about her experience with transitioning. You can follow her story through her vlogs, while also enjoying clothing hauls and hilarious story times.
This is Ingrid. She lives in L.A., and has been a YouTuber for many years, but only came out as a lesbian recently. Her content has shifted from beauty and fashion to feminism, health and
inspiration. She describes herself as a "lifestyle blogger," and each of her videos has such aesthetic and beauty. She still creates videos on fashion, beauty, food, interior design and so much more, but she also speaks about sexuality, periods and happiness. She created a series called "Sense of Self," where she interviews people by having them describe their favorite things to sense (as in hear, taste, touch, etc.). Ingrid has a beautiful message of independence, happiness and equality to give.
This is Jack. He is a recent college graduate from New York. His videos are mainly story time videos, but what really stands out in his content is his humor. He is honestly one of the funniest YouTubers I have seen, and he does it without the sometimes overly gimmick-y skits that other content creators use. Not only is he seriously funny, but he also creates open and honest content about sex and sexuality, which are often topics that people are afraid to broach. I'd highly recommend checking him out for a good laugh and good times.
This is Gigi Gorgeous, a very famous transgender YouTuber. Though her videos do not focus on trans issues, she has made a few that document her own experiences and opinions as a transgender woman. The rest of her videos are insane story times, and helpful makeup and beauty videos. As you can see from her photos, she has amazing makeup skills. Gigi is a fun, kind person who uses her platform to normalize being trans, and let people see that she has many other qualities to herself that she shows off.
This is Miles Jai. He is another very funny YouTuber, and he also creates content focusing on beauty and fashion. He eliminates the binaries of gender conformity by flawlessly transitioning between rocking a dress and heels one day and a jersey and shorts the next. He has a fun, effervescent personality that is definitely worth noticing.
8.
Manny Mua
This is Manny. He is a beauty guru, as you can probably tell from the photo above. He used to work at MAC, and is amazingly talented with makeup for men and women. He's funny, talented and his tutorials are beautiful and pretty easy to follow, so definitely check him out when you need a new look!
