Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney spoke out after winning a Streamy Award for breakout creator.
In an exclusive interview with People, Mulvaney, a biological male, expressed his excitement over winning the award at Sunday’s show honoring online creators.
“I feel like I just blacked out. That was the best moment of my year so far,” he said, adding he felt “so so happy.”
Mulvaney, 26, also said the win “means a lot” to him that a “trans person can win an award” during “such a scary time of transphobia.”
“It makes me feel like there’s hope,” he continued.
@people This is, has been and will forever be a #DylanMulvaney stan account. ❤️ #Streamys #StreamyAwards #RedCarpet ♬ What Was I Made For (Piano) – T I H H
In his acceptance speech, Mulvaney, who documented his transition in a TikTok series, “Days of Girlhood,” said, “My life has been changed for the better.”
“On the flip side, there’s also been an extreme amount of transphobia and hate, and I know that my community is feeling it, and I know that even our allies are feeling it,” Mulvaney said.
Furthermore, Mulvaney told LGBT allies they need to “support trans people publicly and proudly.”
“I think the trans community and the creator community actually have something in common. It’s that people often underestimate us,” he noted.
He also encouraged allies to “stay optimistic” about “the future of transness” and their influence on transgender acceptance.
Mulvaney ended his speech by telling the audience he loved them and was going to “go have a beer.” This statement came after Bud Light received backlash for its partnership with the TikTok star.
In an interview with Allure in April, he opened up about his decision to come out as a transgender publicly.
“I had privately come out to my family and friends in the weeks leading up to that day. I had already been on hormones,” Mulvaney recalled.
“It wasn’t like that day I woke up and said, ‘I’m a girl.’ This was something that had been in the works,” he added.