Dylan Mulvany: Trans TikToker calls for ‘all hands on deck’ to fight anti-trans hate
Dylan Mulvaney has been documenting her transition on TikTok since early 2022. (Getty)
TikTok superstar Dylan Mulvaney says queer people need “all hands on deck” to oppose the wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation battering America.
In an appearance on Rosie O’Donnell’s new podcast, Onward, Mulvaney spoke about growing up in a Catholic community in San Diego, her Broadway dreams and the “ugly” transphobia facing the United States.
“I have tried to be the most uncontroversial person this past year, and somehow it has made me controversial still,” the 26-year-old influencer said, referring to the backlash that followed her interview with Drew Barrymore last month.
“It’s so sad because everything I try to put out is positive, it’s trying to connect with others [who] maybe don’t understand me. It’s to make people laugh, or to make a kid feel seen.”
Mulvaney added that in the year since she came out publically, she has watched anti-trans hate in America get so much worse, with bills across the country aiming to limit trans lives.
“It’s been very odd to compare the two, my transition as well as all this anti-trans legislation simultaneously,” she said.
“It’s gotten so bad, to the point… with all these bills, that we just have to stay alive.
“This is the time for not only straight people, but we need that alphabet [the LGBTQ+ community] to show up for us. It’s all hands on deck. It is not a time to sit idle.”
Dylan Mulvaney also spoke about her Broadway dreams, having been a part of The Book of Mormon before publically transitioning, and putting on a stage show to celebrate the first anniversary of her transition.
“My dad was shaking throughout the show, and I had to console [him]. That moment was so sweet.
“I think that it meant a lot to queer kids [who] don’t have a parent [to] hug them in a moment like that.”
She added that she can’t wait to see more trans representation in movies, such as romantic comedies.
“We’ve got Laverne Cox, who’s doing all these great projects, but I want to see trans rom-coms, I want to see those early 2000s Never Been Kissed types with trans people, because the problem is… we’re often just in NCIS [as] the dead prostitutes.
“Why can’t we show a trans woman in a happy relationship with a straight man? That would have changed my life… growing up and seeing someone on television [who] was trans.”
Comedian and TV star O’Donnell also used the podcast to come to Mulvaney’s defence following the response to her recent brand deals with Nike and Bud Light, which included seeing musician Kid Rock shooting a Bud Light can after the company sponsored the influencer.
“Beer companies have been supportive of the LGBTQIA community for decades,” O’Donnell said. “Who do you think sponsors Pride? Come on. Gay people, trans people, we drink beer too, man!”
“Put down your gun, Kid Rock. It’s in bad taste, especially after what happened at the school in Nashville.”
Onward with Rosie O’Donnell continues on Tuesdays.
How did this story make you feel?
