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LGBTQ YouTube influencers. There’s a lot of unpacking to do in those three words. We’re going to tackle them in reverse order, starting with a few comments about influencer marketing.
We’ll also explore the rising impact YouTube is having on people’s lives, and then present LGBTQ YouTubers, including our suggestions on who you should follow starting right now.
The Rise of LGBTQ+ Channels
The idea of using influence for monetary gain is as old as time itself. However, the rise of the internet has greatly accelerated the trend.
Increasingly, LGBTQ+ people are being visible and vocal across different arenas of life. Nowhere is this truer than on social media and on YouTube, in particular.
Because YouTube has long embraced freedom of speech and freedom of expression, LGBTQ+ channels have flourished on the platform and more and more LGBTQ-focused YouTubers are jumping on the bandwagon every day.
While LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer, we mean the term to be inclusive of people with a wide variety of other gender and sexual identities, including our allies. Meaning, please swap it out mentally for LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, allies, and beyond) anywhere it appears.
Exponential Growth in LGBTQ YouTubers
A Google survey from May 2017 revealed that almost two-thirds of YouTube viewers surveyed who self-identified as LGBT stated that they are more likely to purchase from brands that take a stand on LGBT issues or are LGBT-inclusive.
The survey also pointed to phenomenal growth in LGBT content. The world over, the number of LGBT channels more than doubled in the two years to May 2017. In that same year, all-time viewership of LGBT content exceeded 7 billion views across close to 30,000 channels.
With this explosion of queer content, there is no shortage of thoughtful information, sage advice, and humorous entertainment, but the question remains, who should you follow? Who among the rising wave of LGBT YouTubers deserves your attention?
Top 7 LGBTQ+ YouTubers to Follow
We’ve sifted through thousands of LGBTQ+ influencers on YouTube and are prepared to point you in the direction of queer folk whose content will entertain and enlighten you. Here goes…
1. Challenging Gender with Todrick Hall
Todrick Hall has an astounding 3.38 million Youtube subscribers. Yes, he’s gay. Yes, he’s genderfluid, and yes, he’ll dance in a skirt and heals. He also competed in American Idol in 2009 and has been famous on YouTube since around 2012.
If this choreographed rap/Haus Party performance — Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels by Todrick — is something that makes you want to dance, then you’ve got a lot of videography to get through. We’re guessing you noticed the sharp social commentary in this catchy number.
In his full-length musical, Straight Outta Oz, gendered clothing and behaviors are challenged. By doing this, he empowers other people to authentically express themselves too.
His channel also features chats with Jesse Pattison, a boyfriend of Todrick’s. Todrick is also a judge and choreographer on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
You can join Todrick Hall on YouTube here.
2. Glennon Doyle’s ‘Love Warrior’ Channel
Glennon Doyle Melton, is a thought-provoking author, activist, and philanthropist. Seriously, she’s impressive. She has a widely read blog, Momastery.com, her book Love Warrior was #1 New York Times Bestseller, and her social media channels have gigantic (and zealous) followings.
She also married retired soccer player Abby Wambach in 2017, which made headlines, as Glennon Doyle had previously been married to Craig Melton (a cis man) and written about marriage, child-rearing and religion. Thankfully, activism is alive and well (and necessary even in this day and age) given that Abby was one of the 28-member US Women’s Soccer team who filed a federal gender discrimination lawsuit under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act against the US Soccer Federation.
Glennon Doyle has a popular book and YouTube channel called Love Warrior, and her wife, Abby Wambach, has a book titled Wolfpack. Yes, Glennon talks about life and love. It’s a personal philosophy type of channel that makes you think while also making you feel good about your own life and personal potential.
You can join Glennon on YouTube here.
3. Love and Laughter with Karin & Skyler
Karin & Skyler are a queer couple who have a fun, lively channel in which they share their adventures as a couple. They upload videos twice a week about travel, challenges, relationship dynamics, and more. they do an incredible job of responding to audience feedback and questions.
One of their most popular videos, called How to Kiss a Girl, has attracted nearly 800,000 views. This is probably because their content is funny, witty, and well produced.
Their banter back and forth is also entertaining and sweet. They’ve got just the right chemistry to be a queer power couple on YouTube.
Join Karin & Skyler on YouTube here.
4. Nonbinary Realities with Ashley Wylde
Another fantastic channel is Ashley Wylde’s channel about being gender nonbinary. They do an awesome job of covering topics relevant to the nonbinary experience, such as exploring gender neutral language, bathrooms, clothing, swimsuits, and so much more.
In their own words, Ashley is a “queer and genderqueer college student with a love for making others laugh, ponder, question, respond and engage with their surroundings.”
If you’re nonbinary, genderfluid or otherwise outside the binary, you’ll definitely love Wyled’s content. Even if you’re not, you’ll learn, ponder, laugh, and be entertained.
You can join Ashley Wylde on YouTube here.
5. There’s No Bias In Bisexual with Meg Turney
Meg Turney deals with issues that bisexual people want and need to talk about, and the prejudices they face both within the LGBT community and outside of it.
She is YouTuber based in the USA, cosplayer, model, and vlogger. She posts her weekly vlogs on Youtube. Turney has also earned some celebrity for her cosplaying at Comic-Con and other conventions.
Currently hosting Rooster Teeth’s The Know, she is outspoken and pleasant. That’s why we like her and you might too.
You can join Meg Turney on YouTube here.
6. Sometimes It Is About Science with Gregory & Mitch
Gregory Brown and his partner Mitchell Moffit created the popular ASAPScience YouTube channel ASAPScience. Each week they produce a video on various topics of science. Although the focus is science, their gayness is beautifully present too.
They also have another channel called Greg and Mitch, where they share videos from their daily life. Both their families are supportive of their seven-and-a-half-year relationship.
They incorporate discussion on issues surrounding coming out, and some of the negative responses they receive about their sexuality.
The science is factual, but also accessible to the masses (not just science folks). I’d class it as light entertainment.
You can join Gregory and Mitchell on YouTube here.
7. Gender-fluid Brendan Jordan
Brendan Jordan is a favorite among many. Brendan’s appeal comes chiefly from being young, millennial, and generally fabulous, as well as genderfluid. Brendan identifies as transgender and goes by the pronouns he or she.
With a rise in nonbinary and trans visibilty in recent years, many people find Brendan’s courage and swag to be inspirational. Queen Latifah thought so too, in this great interview.
Audacity and a sense of humor are part of what make Brendan’s channel a popular place to be.
The Right Kind of YouTube Vortex
The great thing about subscribing to a few channels run by LGBTQ+ YouTubers is that it will cause YouTube to suggest similar content to you. If you’re looking for a queer vortex to fall into, use these suggestions to get you started.
Interested in learning more about topics like this? Explore this blog or leave a request in the comments below with suggestions for new topics we should cover.
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