Transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney was recognized at the 2023 Streamy Awards, an annual event celebrating online content creators and influencers, where he stated that transgender people must be “supported publicly and proudly” by everybody.
During the ceremony, Mulvaney received the “Breakout Creator of the Year” award where he accepted his trophy wearing a red dress and a blonde wig. Mulvaney took the opportunity to speak out about his experiences as a transgender-identifying individual.
“My life has been changed for the better,” Mulvaney said in his acceptance speech. “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 Streamy Awards is an annual event that recognizes the achievements of online content creators, spanning platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, podcasts, and streaming. While the awards may not be as widely known as other major entertainment awards, they hold significance within the realm of digital media and content creation.
Mulvaney also used the event as a platform to applaud transgender “allies” in the influencer community.
“I look around this room and I just see so many amazing allies that have platforms and I think allyship right now needs to look differently. You need to support trans people publicly and proudly,” Mulvaney expressed.
At the conclusion of his speech Mulvaney jokingly stated, “I’m gonna go have a beer,” a reference to the recent Bud Light controversy ignited by the company’s partnership with Mulvaney on TikTok. The boycott of Bud Light by conservatives has cost the company over $27 billion and forced it to undergo layoffs of employees in its marketing departments.
