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YouTube and transgender people

YouTube is a social media platform that has both benefited and harmed trans people.

It has been an important place for transgender YouTubers to share their experiences and views.

It has also been a pipeline for anti-trans radicalization.

Ribeiro 2019 study

“Auditing Radicalization Pathways on YouTube” examines how YouTube algorithms in the 2010s infected viewers with recommendations from the alt-right, alt-lite, and intellectual dark web. The kinds of radicalization included anti-trans radicalization. Below are the channels analyzed.

Alt-right channels

  • AltRight.com 
  • AmRen Podcasts
  • AmRenVideos
  • Ayla Stewart Wife w/ A Purpose
  • Baked Alaska 2
  • Black Pigeon Speaks
  • Bre Faucheux
  • CounterCurrentsTV
  • Darkstream
  • Faith J Goldy
  • James Allsup
  • Jason Kessler
  • Jean-François Gariépy
  • Johnny Monoxide
  • MW Live
  • Matt Forney
  • MillennialWoes
  • NPI / Radix
  • Red Ice TV
  • Staying Woke
  • The Golden One
  • The Reality Calls Show
  • Traditionalist Worker Party
  • Voxiversity
  • augustussolinvictus
  • iambakedalaska
  • Alt Right
  • Alt-Right Tankie
  • American Pride
  • American Pride 2
  • ArktosOnline
  • Augustus Invictus for US Senate
  • AustralianRealist
  • Be Open MInded
  • BigCatKayla Livestreams
  • Charles Zeiger
  • Corpus Mentis
  • Dismantle The Matrix
  • Dissident View
  • Engländer
  • Jan Kerkoff
  • Mark Collett
  • Matthew North
  • Nacionalista Blanco del SoCal
  • Nationalist Media Network
  • No White Guilt
  • Patrick Slattery
  • Real McGoy
  • Revcon Media
  • Stand Up Europe

Alt-lite channels

  • America First with Nicholas J Fuentes
  • Andy Warski
  • Blonde in the Belly of the Beast
  • Brittany Pettibone
  • Computing Forever
  • Gavin McInnes
  • Laura Loomer
  • Lauren Chen
  • Lauren Southern
  • MILO
  • Mike Cernovich
  • Nick Fuentes Clips
  • No Bullshit
  • No Bullshit 2
  • Paul Joseph Watson
  • Rebel Canada
  • Rebel Edge
  • Rebel Media
  • Stefan Molyneux
  • StevenCrowder
  • Styxhexenhammer666
  • The Thinkery
  • Vee
  • 6oodfella
  • A1Cvenom
  • AIU-Resurrection
  • AltRight Truth
  • AustralianNeoCon1
  • BlazeTV
  • Brave New World
  • Bull Brand
  • Carpe Donktum
  • Christopher Anderson
  • Daily Caller
  • DailyCallerVideo
  • DailyKenn
  • Dinesh D’Souza
  • DoctorRandomercam
  • Domination Station
  • Harrison Hill Smith
  • Jacob Wohl
  • Kelly Day
  • Leo Stratton
  • Liberty Machine News
  • Luke Ford
  • Luke Ford Livestreams
  • Make Cringe Great Again
  • News2Share
  • On The Offensive
  • Oppressed Media

Intellectual dark web channels

2025 Bloomberg report

Broadcasters also mentioned transgender identity in roughly 3 out of 10 videos, with hosts Bet-David and Rogan discussing the topic in more than half of their most-viewed videos. The podcasters and their guests — particularly comedians — often portrayed trans people as aberrant, and reinforced ideas of a gender binary.

Thirty percent of videos discussing transgender identity also mention children. Hosts criticized public schools for letting children explore their gender identity, and staunchly opposed gender-affirming care for minors. According to the American Medical Association, physicians providing gender-affirming care are bound by their ethical duty to act in a patient’s best interest, and clinical guidelines help them carefully consider whether care is medically necessary for improving the physical and mental health of patients.

In one April 2024 discussion on Fridman’s show, the former US Representative Tulsi Gabbard argued that advocating for the rights of transgender individuals infringed on the rights of women. “They,” said Gabbard, referring to Democrats, “are actively pushing for boys who identify as girls to compete against girls in sports. Changing our language so that the word woman, the identity of being a woman, is essentially being erased from our society.” As she spoke, Fridman, dressed in his signature dark suit, listened intently.

The arguments have already built support for sweeping policy changes across the nation. In 15% of videos mentioning transgender identity, hosts also mentioned sports, arguing that it is inappropriate for transgender and intersex athletes to compete. In January, House lawmakers passed a Republican-led bill that would prohibit federally funded schools from allowing transgender students to participate on sports teams that align with their gender identity.

Studied podcasters

  • Adin Ross – Adin Live
  • Andrew Schulz – Flagrant
  • The Nelk Boys – Full Send Podcast
  • Logan Paul – Impaulsive
  • Joe Rogan – The Joe Rogan Experience
  • Lex Fridman – The Lex Fridman Podcast
  • Patrick Bel-David – PBD Podcast
  • Shawn Ryan – Shawn Ryan Show
  • Theo Von – This Past Weekend

References

Davey Alba, Leon Yin, Julia Love, Ashley Carman, Priyanjana Bengani, Rachael Dottle, Elena Mejía (January 22, 2025). The Second Trump Presidency, Brought to You by YouTubers. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2025-youtube-podcast-men-for-trump/

Ribeiro MH, Ottoni R, West R, Almeida VAF, Meira W (2019). Auditing Radicalization Pathways on YouTube. arXiv.org (PDF) https://arxiv.org/abs/1908.08313

Lewis, Rebecca (September 18, 2018). Alternative Influence: Broadcasting the Reactionary Right on YouTube. Data & Society https://datasociety.net/library/alternative-influence/