Beauty vlogger NikkieTutorials posted a coming out video on Jan. 14 (Philippine time) where she shared to her 12.6 million subscribers that she is a transgender woman.
Nikkie started the video by saying that some people have tried to out her, so she took the power back by making the announcement herself. She said that she started growing her hair out and going to school in dresses at six years old. Her mom, who has appeared in some of her videos, has always been supportive of her decision to transition at a young age.
One of the many important takeaways from the video is that Nikkie shouldn’t be placed in a box just because she came out as transgender.
“There’s one thing that I really, really want to make so clear to all of you: I am me. I am still Nikkie. Nothing changes about that. The last thing I want in my life is for you to not trust me anymore, or to look at me with different eyes, or to look at me in a different manner, or think that I have changed,” said Nikkie. “At the end of the day, I am still Nikkie and nothing changes about that.”
Nikkie also clarified that she started her channel to showcase her love for makeup and her artistry, not for people to focus on her trans-ness. This is similar to what singer Kim Petras told Huffington Post about not wanting people to flock to her solely because of her identity.
The beauty vlogger has been producing videos on YouTube for 11 years now. She has also done successful collaborations with Ofra and NYX Cosmetics, hosted a web series, and did the makeup of celebrities like Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian.
Fans have supported Nikkie and celebrated her successes for more than a decade—her coming out as transgender shouldn’t change the way people perceive her. She doesn’t owe you anything and people shouldn’t have threatened to blackmail her. Nikkie and every other LGBTQ+ person deserves to come out in their own time.
We’re happy that Nikkie felt safe enough to share this part of her life to the world and for giving advice to others who are going through the same experiences as her.
Screengrab from YouTube
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