Trisha Paytas, popular YouTuber, created an uproar on Oct. 7 when they posted a video coming out as a female to male transgender. Previously criticized for posting videos about changing their ethnicity, coming out as gay and then coming out as bisexual, Paytas is facing doubt regarding their gender identity. 

Paytas starts out her video by saying that it might seem “offensive” or “setting back a movement” but clarifies that it is not their intention to be offensive. They go on to talk about their childhood and how they would be made fun of by their peers for looking manly. Paytas talks about how they would wear sports bras because they were uncomfortable with their breasts. 

“I identify with men better, but I do like girls sensitivity, so that’s why I identify as a gay man,” Paytas said.

They also claim that they “like glam and voluptuousness” so therefore they are “a transgender female to male but also as a drag queen.” Many are criticizing the media personality for stereotyping gay men and drag queens. Some believe Paytas is painting a bad picture of trans men because the traits they single out doesn’t solely apply to men such as not always wearing makeup or caring about their appearance. 

Shortly after the video was released, they became the #1 trending topic on Twitter, but half of the tweets about them weren’t supportive whatsoever.

Many are claiming that Trisha is pretending to be transgender in order to gain viewers and popularity. Vicky Vox, a transgender woman and popular drag queen, tweeted “using gender identity as clickbait is a privileged act of violence. I’m not gonna stand for it. Trans people are murdered for quietly trying to live their life.”

However, others are confirming that Paytas is serious about her claim. GiGi Gorgeous, popular transgender YouTuber, and friend of Paytas said in a reaction video: “on the phone with Trisha the transgender label was confirmed and I found out that the video was not clickbait. The video is not shock value, Trisha is transgender.”

Later on, a new video was released by the Youtuber named “I’m QUESTIONING”. It shows that Paytas is still discovering their gender identity and is having trouble explaining it to others. 

“Identity isn’t always clear to us in a way you can fully understand and explain,” Paytas said. “Sometimes words don’t come in a way that other people can comprehend. Only we can truly feel the way we feel.”

“I feel as though Paytas is experiencing gender euphoria, rather than dysphoria because dysphoria is the negative feeling one feels when they realize they no longer want to be their assigned gender,” said Nathan Reilly, a sophomore at William Paterson University. “Euphoria is the positive feeling one feels when they are recognized as their true gender, as opposed to their assigned one. I feel as though Paytas doesn’t understand what euphoria is, and therefore kinda botched their language in the video.”

It is still being debated whether or not Paytas is 100% sure of their own gender identity. It’s come down to whether their confused or if they’re faking the behavior for the shock value and popularity. It is up to Paytas to assign an official label that describes their experience with gender.