The Rise of Dylan Mulvaney: From Elder White to White House darling who brought A-listers to their knees
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: No matter where your political inclinations and loyalties lie, it is hard to ignore the stellar rise of trans superstar Dylan Mulvaney. The 26-year-old internet personality shot to prominence by documenting her transition over the past year on TikTok, filming each day of "being a girl."
Mulvaney now has more than 10 million followers on the app. Earlier this year, she walked her first Grammys red carpet and candidly shared with her fans the results of her facial feminization surgery. Meanwhile, the influencer celebrated day 365 of being a girl on March 13 with a live-streamed variety show at the Rainbow Room in New York City.
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Who is Dylan Mulvaney?
Born in San Diego, California, Mulvaney attended the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music and graduated in 2019 with a BFA in musical theatre. She knew she was trans at the time and struggled to find her niche in the entertainment sphere, according to Hollywood Life. “I put so much of my own identity away just so that I could have opportunities in my industry,” she told Los Angeles Magazine in 2022. “I struggled for so long in having the entertainment industry accept me and have a place for me… now, because the internet and all these followers have decided to love me, it’s creating these opportunities that I didn’t have before.”
Mulvaney's most prominent role arguably came with the touring company of the Broadway musical, 'The Book of Mormon', in which she played the character of Elder White. The internet phenomena also appeared in a couple of other roles, including stage adaptations of 'Legally Blonde', 'High School Musical', as well as productions of 'Bye Bye Birdie' and 'Spring Awakening.' Meanwhile, her transitioning journey on TikTok garnered the attention of several A-listers including Paris Hilton and Lady Gaga.
Coming out as trans
While Mulvaney's transition has been well-documented for a few years, she has always been aware of her true identity. “I came out to my mom at [age] 4,” she told Variety. “I told her, ‘I’m a girl.’ We were very, very religious so she was like, ‘God doesn’t make mistakes.’ But I didn’t know that I could transition. I didn’t know that there were options or resources.”
According to Mulvaney, seeing Laverne Cox on the hit series 'Orange Is The New Black' helped her come to terms with her identity, and her confidence was further bolstered after she befriended ER Frightmaster at Upright Citizen’s Brigade. “We met doing a comedy improv show at UCB,” she told Variety. "I was enamored by them… Just to watch someone so confidently, there was some swagger there in this, like, 'I know who I am.' I wanted that so desperately. I’m just really grateful that that was my first person I had met.”
Gender transition journey
“That [during the pandemic] was the first moment since I was a child that I really got to ask myself like Dylan, like, ‘Who are you without acting and without playing a boy part?'” Mulvaney recalled to Los Angeles Magazine. “I started asking myself those tough questions that I don’t think I would even have found the answers to today had the pandemic not happened.” She eventually began documenting her transition on TikTok with her “Days of Girlhood Series" and as mentioned, she completed her first year of "being a girl" on March 13, 2023.
From there, the sky was the limit. The trans icon has since rubbed shoulders with a number of A-list celebrities and even got an opportunity to interview President Joe Biden in October 2022 for NowThis News. It was an unprecedented interview between a trans woman and the leader of the free world, where they discussed the increase in anti-trans legislation being passed by states, specifically the uptick of bans on gender-affirming healthcare. “I don’t think any state or anybody should have a right to do that,” Biden told Mulvaney, adding, “As a moral question and a legal question. I just think it’s wrong.”
To honor Mulvaney's first year as a trans woman, she was invited by Drew Barrymore on the March 13 episode of her eponymous talk show. “This is very personal for me,” the 48-year-old actress told the TikTok star, noting she was honored to have her on because her documented transitioning series represented someone navigating “a world where we’re trying to figure out who we’re supposed to be.” Barrymore also acknowledged the “risk and [the] bravery” of Mulvaney putting herself out there while documenting her transition.
While one can argue Dylan Mulvaney has already reached the heights any trans woman could dream of, she is probably just getting started.