If there are two things America seemingly hates, it's trans people and MrBeast. 2023 alone has seen the introduction of 496 anti-LGBTQ bills into state and national legislatures. A vast majority of these bills explicitly target transgender individuals in a variety of ways. These bills range from removing protected category status to the forcible de-transition of minors receiving hormone therapy in that state.
As for MrBeast, the YouTuber is loved and loathed in equal measure. Despite his 145 million subscribers, his content is often the subject of public scrutiny. Sometimes it's for questionable video subjects or tweets, such as building a real-life replica of the death game from Netflix's satirical drama Squid Game or asking fans to neaten store displays of his candy bar, Feastables. Other times it's for what people see as his engagement in "poverty porn", the act of engaging in philanthropy to seek credit, status, or a monetary return. However, these two hot-button issues have now collided due to a recent video.
"All This Transphobia Is Starting To Piss Me Off"
SunnyV2 is a video essay YouTuber with 3.38 million subscribers. Their most popular videos include How Primitive Building Videos Are Staged and The Tragic Transformation of Nikocado Avocado. On April 13, they uploaded Why Chris Will Soon Be A Nightmare For MrBeast. The video focuses on Chris Tyson, a long-time friend of MrBeast, who has recently opened up about starting HRT and dressing in a more feminine manner. Sunny argues that Tyson, who uses any pronouns and does not explicitly identify as transgender at this time, will cause a fall in MrBeast's popularity. The video was met with derision from some and support from others. Many called it out as openly transphobic and pointed to other instances of Sunny misgendering gender non-conforming individuals. However, it also received a wave of support from other sources, with people using it as an opportunity to push anti-trans rhetoric.
Eventually, MrBeast gave his take. Responding to a tweet that called the video "invasive", Beast said, "Yeah, this is getting absurd. Chris isn't my "nightmare" he's my fucken friend and things are fine. All this transphobia is starting to piss me off." This was hailed as a "MrBeast says trans rights" moment by many (even though some of that MrBeast money helping fight anti-trans legislation would be an even bigger trans rights moment). However, it was a clear indication that Sunny's video had crossed a line for the typically hands-off MrBeast. He has publicly stood by his friend while also taking a stance on the rhetoric created by Sunny's video.
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