(CNN) — YouTube superstar MrBeast has spoken out against transphobic comments directed at his friend and collaborator Chris Tyson.
Tyson, one of MrBeast's long-time collaborators who often appears in the creator's widely popular videos, has documented their experience with hormone replacement therapy, one form of gender-affirming medical care, on social media. Tyson uses all pronouns according to their verified Twitter account and has said they will discuss their identity more in the future. CNN has chosen to use they/them pronouns to describe Tyson throughout this article for consistency.
On Thursday, MrBeast responded on Twitter to a screenshot of a YouTube video about Tyson's gender identity and personal life. The video, entitled "Why Chris Will Soon Be A Nightmare for MrBeast," suggested that Tyson's shifting gender presentation might distract from or damage MrBeast's content.
"Yeah, this is getting absurd," wrote the creator, who has 145 million subscribers on YouTube, in response to the screenshot.
"Chris isn't my 'nightmare,'" he went on. He wrote that Tyson is "my f**ken friend and things are fine. All this transphobia is starting to piss me off."
Tyson has used social media to speak about the importance of their medical transition. "Informed consent HRT saved my and many others' lives," they wrote on their personal account on April 5th. "The hurdles gnc people have to jump through to get life-saving gender-affirming healthcare in a 1st world country is wild to me. Just let people make informed decisions about their own bodies." "GNC" is an acronym often used for "gender non-conforming."
MrBeast voiced his support at the time, replying "Gotchu" with heart emojis to Tyson's tweet.
The comments come as Republican legislators have pushed to restrict gender-affirming medical care, including hormone replacement therapy, across the country. Earlier this month, Indiana and Idaho each enacted bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. At least 417 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the United States from the start of the year to April 3 — a new record, according to data from the American Civil Liberties Union.
The-CNN-Wire
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