Social media: blessing or curse?
If you’re still asking that question in 2023, you probably remember when there was no X or Twitter or Snap or Insta (no one wants to remember Facebook).
Vote now for LGBTQ Nation‘s 2023 Social Media Hero
Socials can be used for good, as our four nominees for Social Media Hero demonstrated again and again over the past year. Or for evil: see Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene vs. Lauren Boebert, and any number of far-right wing online trolls with daddy issues.
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Our group of online habituates is on the bright side of history — advocating, educating, and leading people to their “happy place.”
Two-spirit Kairyn Potts conjures his ancestors to share the history of queer Indigenous people.
Black and trans model Aaron Rose Philip lives with quadriplegic cerebral palsy and just made the cover of British Vogue.
MrBeast collaborator and YouTube celebrity Kris Tyson strode out of the closet, sharing her new identity with fans.
And cutest couple Katie and Darian McRose set sheep and other beasts free of their matted coats, earning a loyal following and hundreds of millions of views on TikTok and YouTube.
Watching that fiber “roll off into a blanket is incredibly satisfying,” says sheep shearer Katie, just like good social media should be.
Vote now for LGBTQ Nation‘s 2023 Social Media Hero
Kairyn Potts
Two-spirit Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation tribe member Kairyn Potts is on the socials to help explain that history and reclaim his culture from racists and religious extremists past and present.
“The concept of sexuality and relationships was a lot different for indigenous people and was seen as sacred and free,” Kairyn says in one recent post.
“The effects of colonial violence on our lands is felt every day through the continuous and lasting negative impacts it has on gender and sex and relationships. Through fear of assimilation and death, many teachings and practices about queerness and homosexuality have had to go underground for safety.”
Kairyn has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram with his queer histories and two-spirit advocacy, in the form of explainers and spirited performances channeling his elders.
“I respect our roots, ancient ways, and our indigenous gays,” Kairyn quotes his aunty on TikTok. “My two-spirit neph taught me slay slay slay.”
“Remember there’s nothing wrong with you for who you love or how you choose to live your life,” Kairyn advises. “Creator loves you, and your ancestors got your back ✊🏾❤️”
Aaron Rose Philip
Nearly six years ago, Aaron Rose Philip, a Bronx teen from Antigua, tweeted, “honestly when i get scouted/discovered by a modeling agency it’s OVER for y’all! by y’all i mean the WORLD! it’s real inclusivity/diversity hours folks, get into it!”
The text with two gorgeous pics went viral and landed Aaron Rose a modeling contract with Elite in New York, the first ever for someone Black, transgender, and physically disabled.
Now 22, Aaron Rose lives with quadriplegic cerebral palsy.
As a child, “I just wanted to hang out with other kids, but they were intimidated by my wheelchair,” she told British Vogue in a recent profile. So her parents got Aaron Rose a desktop computer.
“The internet was an interface where my disability didn’t have to be centered.”
With fame now added to her resume — along with campaigns for Moschino, Collina Strada, and Sephora and covers for British Vogue, WWD, and Numéro — Aaron Rose is holding the world to account on social media for injustices experienced by the trans and disabled communities, and fundraising for Black trans women in need.
“Whether physically, structurally or socially, accommodation of Disabled talents and models by the fashion industry has a long way to go,” she says.
Kris Tyson
At the end of July, MrBeast collaborator Kris Tyson posted an update to X on her life-changing transformation: before and after pics of “6 months on HRT!!🥰”
It was the latest installment of a story Tyson has been sharing online, where she’s occupied a coveted space for the last decade with MrBeast, the world’s most popular YouTuber.
Tyson’s transition burst into view in April this year when some fans started to grumble about her changing appearance. She replied casually with news she’d started hormone replacement therapy.
“What a downfall” read one of the tamer replies.
MrBeast, aka Jimmy Donaldson, soon came to his longtime friend and colleague’s defense.
“All this transphobia is starting to piss me off,” he posted to Twitter, prying the door open a little further for Tyson to come out. “He’s my f**ken friend.”
Then in July, Tyson took the plunge: “New pronouns just dropped 😱” she teased, linking to an interview with fellow YouTuber Anthony Padilla.
“I am a woman! She/her” she told Padilla. “I’ve never said that publicly, but I’ve been fully confident in that decision for over a year now.”
In an interview with People, Tyson called HRT “so freeing.”
“I knew who I was finally, surely, truly without a shadow of a doubt and that is what really saved my life.”
Katie and Darian McRose
It’s been a couple of years since Katie and Darian McRose, high school sweethearts turned married ladies, realized Katie’s passion for shearing sheep and other hairy animals was contagious.
“Most people will agree that watching that fiber come off, roll off into a blanket is incredibly satisfying,” Katie told BuzzFeed News. “I feel like there’s almost like a zen to it.”
“Most people” has grown to over three million followers for the 20-something couple’s TikTok and YouTube accounts, where they wrangle often contentious animals into shorn bliss.
The pair travel a circuit through Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, and anywhere else their services are required. At $20 per sheep ($45 for an alpaca), speed means a bigger payout at the end of long days, and more fun for fans.
The stories behind their clients are a big draw, too. Katie and Darian help rescue dozens of animals every year.
“I think people like to feel these emotional connections with these animals that I present,” Katie says. “I think it brings people to a happy place.”
