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My Joy List: Skyler Jay

The trans activist and influencer finds joy in TikTok wig reviews, a Todrick Hall x Beyoncé mash-up, and more.

Sklyer Jay

Read when you’ve got time to spare.

In 2018, Skyler Jay made headlines as the first out transgender person on Netflix’s Queer Eye. Since then, he’s used his platform—most notably, @trans.ginger on Instagram—to fight for trans rights, by successfully suing the University System of Georgia for inclusive healthcare policies and founding Aadya Rising, a non-profit that supports the LGBTQIA+ community through education, mentorship, surgery access assistance, and more.

Here, Skyler shares the links that bring him joy, from his go-to Instagram account for memes to the DIY skills taught by Trans Handy Ma’am.

Aadya Rising

Skyler Jay: “It has been a dream and goal of mine since 2008 to open a non-profit that would directly contribute support services to the LGBTQIA+ community, and more specifically, help aid in surgery access assistance for the Trans community. Opening Aadya Rising and helping provide other LGBTQIA+ people what I needed that did not exist early in my coming out and transition process has brought me immense joy! Aadya Rising is a fully donation-based LGBTQIA+ run non-profit I co-founded in May of 2020. Aadya Rising is and will always remain very close to my heart. Check out our Instagram, @aadyarising. <3”

Wussy Mag

SJ: “As a retired drag artist from the south, Wussy is my go-to account for relatable, entertaining, and always hilarious content. Wussy hosts events and podcasts, and are the self-described Atlanta-based ‘sissies’ that focus on queer art and pop culture. Their account shares memes, quotes, news, images, videos, and more! I find myself laughing at nearly everything they share. Wussy is always a must when I am scrolling!”

Check out Wussy’s magazine here.

Mercury Stardust [WATCH]

SJ: “‘You’re worth the time it takes to learn a new skill,’ the Trans Handy Ma’am Mercury always says! I personally love learning different ways to make myself handier! Mercury is a trans woman who teaches what she calls, ’compassionate DIY skills’. She really knows what she’s talking about and is so helpful! I greatly appreciate her upbeat joyous approach to teaching viewers new skills and ways to better themselves. And for me personally, the skills-learning process feels even more special coming from another trans person.”

Check out Mercury’s site here.

How Queer Is The Animal Kingdom? with Eliot Schrefer [LISTEN]

SJ: “This is one of my personal favorite episodes of Jonathan Van Ness’s podcast Getting Curious. While I obviously may be a bit biased as to why I choose to listen to JVN’s podcast as a Queer Eye Hero, I really do enjoy the way JVN navigates learning about any and everything. This particular episode sheds some light on queerness in the animal kingdom. As a genuinely curious queer animal lover and JVN admirer myself, this is one of many episodes of Getting Curious that are incredibly captivating to me.”

4 Beyoncé - Ultimate Beyoncé Mashup [WATCH]

SJ: “It’s hard to pick my favorite video from Todrick Hall’s YouTube channel that brings me the most joy. BUT if I HAD to, it would be this video, 4 Beyoncé. Combining two of my favorite artists into a mashup! Todrick and Beyoncé! How could I not be obsessed?! Like with many of his videos, I find myself singing my heart out, dancing, and almost wanting to cry in the span of 4 minutes every time I watch. If that’s not queer joy, I don't know what is! LOL!”

Jess So Weird [WATCH]

SJ: “The Official Wig Baby!! This adorably hysterical mother-daughter duo review wigs together. It is the wholesome feel good content I often seek that fills my heart with so much joy! I love watching them interact. You can really tell this mother (who is hilarious) and her clever 1-year-old baby have so much fun making videos together, letting the baby try on and react to many different wigs.”

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Sklyer Jay

Skyler Jay is a Trans activist and influencer from Georgia. He is most notably known for his appearance as the first out transgender person featured on season two of Netflix’s Emmy award-winning show, Queer Eye, as well as for his groundbreaking lawsuit against the University System of Georgia to remove their policy’s Transgender healthcare exclusions for over 160,000 state employees. Skyler has a passion for leadership, community building, and LGBTQIA+ community work. He has a background of many years in event coordination, public speaking, and community fundraising. His story has been picked up by Out Magazine, Them, People Magazine, Vanity Fair, Mashable, PinkNews, The Advocate, Associated Press, LGBTQNation, GA Voice and the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

For his many contributions to the community, Skyler was presented with the 2019 Community Leader of the Year Award at the Trans* Advocacy Awards, an honor in the past bestowed upon trailblazers such as U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and actress Laverne Cox. In May of 2020, Skyler co-founded Aadya Rising, an LGBTQIA+ nonprofit that seeks to find and fill the gaps from within the community through the means of resources, education, mentorship, support groups, and Trans surgery grants. When not working for the LGBTQIA+ community, Skyler enjoys traveling, drag shows, and spending time with his beloved cat, Robot. You can follow his personal journey on social media, @trans.ginger.