Happy Pride! As most of you are probably aware, June is celebrated as LGBT+ Pride Month all around the world, giving those of us in the LGBT+ community an opportunity to celebrate our identity (and giving companies an opportunity to slap a rainbow on their logo and earn some of that sweet, sweet pink money). Like many of us who are living in countries dramatically impacted by the COVID pandemic (i.e. pretty much everywhere), I am spending Pride 2021 cooped up in my home and consuming queer media in an attempt to make up for the lack of real-life events happening near me. This just so happens to be how I have spent almost every single pride since I came out, but I would rather blame it on COVID this year.
But if I can't experience queer community in real life right now, I can still do so through the internet. I have mentioned in a few past posts that I love watching YouTube, with many of my favourite creators being LGBT+. I thought that this month would be the perfect time to draw attention to some of these creators through one of my favourite mediums: a list.
This is by no means an exhaustive list (obviously there are more than 10 LGBT+ people on YouTube...), but these are ten of my absolute favourites - the kind I actually turn notifications on for because I'm genuinely excited when they put out a new video. That's right, I actually clicked the bell button for these people.
I have done my best to research these YouTubers and make sure I've got their labels and pronouns right, but please do let me know in the comments if I have made a mistake and I will fix it ASAP. In some cases I have just not mentioned their specific identities, because while I know that all of the people on this list identify with the LGBT+ community, I am not sure which letter in specific they fall under. With all that out of the way, let's move on to the YouTubers!
Kat Blaque
Kat Blaque is one of my all-time favourite YouTubers and probably the YouTuber I have followed most consistently for the longest period of time. While the content and style of her channel has evolved over the years, her honesty and charisma mean that she can make just about any topic interesting. Right now she runs a weekly True Tea podcast where she gives her opinions on a variety of subjects, from pop culture to social issues. She also speaks from her own experience as a Black trans woman, as well as someone who is involved in the BDSM, polyamorous, and goth communities of Los Angeles. Her perspective is always interesting and her sincerity is refreshing.
Tara Mooknee
Like Kat Blaque, I mentioned Tara Mooknee in one of my previous YouTube-related posts: 5 Video Essays I Love. That post mentioned Mooknee's video "The Rise of the Pick Me Girl Meme", which has over one million well-deserved views and which I would still highly recommend. That video is far from the only worthwhile video on the channel, though. Mooknee, a bisexual woman, primarily makes videos responding to things - "things" such as email chain messages, anti-lockdown propaganda, and cows in pop culture. Whatever the subject, Mooknee always manages to make her videos entertaining and absurdly funny while also breaking down the more serious aspects of her topics in an intelligent and insightful way. She also has an amazing fashion sense and an adorable dog named Siggy, so there's no reason not to watch her really.
Khadija Mbowe
Another YouTuber I've only recently started watch but love so far, Khadija Mbowe makes video essays about social issues and media. Their videos are consistently well-structured, researched, and presented, making them a pleasure to watch even when they go in-depth with serious topics. It's sort of hard to believe that they're actually a professional opera singer and not a full-time video essayist, but I suppose some people are just that multitalented!
CopsHateMoe
CopsHateMoe is a non-binary YouTuber that I can't quite believe is only 19 years old, given how thoughtful and mature their video content is. They are somewhat involved in leftist spaces on social media, and they have previously been critical of those in leftist and LGBT+ spaces who perpetuate harmful behaviours, such as Xanderhal's ableism and Blaire White's take on pretty much everything. They recently became quite well known for their takes on the Kalvin Garrah situation, which has been a big topic among LGBT+ YouTubers of late. Their videos might have less appeal if you don't follow many creators in these spaces and thus have no idea what I'm on about, but if you do understand and haven't yet watched Moe's channel, I highly recommend that you do.
Jessie Gender
Like many of the other creators on this list, Jessie Gender makes commentary and video essays (my tastes are quite particular, as you can probably tell). Her videos tend to focus on geek culture seen through a socially critical lens. Many of these focus on Star Trek (Jessie Gender being a huge Trekkie), but she has covered others forms of media as well, from Marvel to Harry Potter. She often analyses these from her own position as a queer, trans, autistic woman, providing a much-needed perspective in geek fandom.
MacDoesIt
If you're keen to watch more LGBT+ content but are more interested in watching funny videos than deep-diving video essays, MacDoesIt might be the channel for you. He describes himself as 'a satirical comedic vlogger who creates content that is a cross between “Intelligently funny” an “an organized hot mess.”' You might be familiar with his reaction videos, like his hilarious "Reacting to Anti-Gay Commercials Series". His style is energetic and sometimes chaotic, but in my opinion it's always funny (and judging by the 16 million views on his first anti-gay reaction video, I'm not the only one who thinks so).
Jessica Kellgren-Fozard
Another YouTuber who doesn't focus primarily on video essays, Jessica Kellgren-Fozard is a Deaf, lesbian YouTuber and vintage fashion icon. Her videos are fun and cheerful, including family vlogs (made with her wife, dogs, and newborn baby), vintage style tutorials, LGBT+ history lessons, discussions about disabled and queer identity, and more. Her style is impeccable and her attitude is contagiously upbeat. Fun fact: I actually learnt how to use foam hair rollers from her tutorial videos.
Philosophy Tube
Full disclosure: I didn't actually start watching Philosophy Tube until Abigail Thorn's relatively recent video where she came out as transgender: 'Identity: A Trans Coming Out Story'. That video was so mindblowingly good that I felt compelled to consume more of her work. So far, I have only become more impressed. Focusing primarily on issues of philosophy, as her channel name would imply, Philosophy Tube's videos tend to be highly-produced, aesthetically theatrical videos that are as thought-provoking as they are visually stimulating. I was particularly amazed by her recent video 'Ignorance & Censorship', which more or less made me reconsider my whole life.
Finnjamin Fox
Although his is one of the smaller channels on this list, Finnjamin Fox is definitely worth checking out. He makes sensitive, thoughtful videos about trans issues and his own experience as a trans, bisexual man. Like Tara Mooknee, he also has a very cute dog. The sense of calm and nuance that he brings to his videos makes them especially nice to watch. He always seems to approach his topics with compassion, which I find very admirable.
Samantha Lux
For the final YouTuber on this list, I would like to recommend Samantha Lux. She is a trans woman who creates videos where she reacts to current events and media from a trans perspective, as well as sharing her own experience transitioning. Her videos are well-researched and structured, even though they feel quite informal and fun too. I admire how well she balances humour and positivity with justified criticism of the often-transphobic behaviour she reacts to, and it makes her videos a joy to watch,
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