Miles McKenna
McKenna as Alex on Guilty Party in 2017
Personal information
Born (1995-11-02) November 2, 1995 (age 28)
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Vlogger, actor, LGBTQIA+ advocate
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2012–present
Genre(s)LGBTQIA+, comedy, commentary, vlogs
Subscribers1.16 million[1]
Total views153.35 million[1]
100,000 subscribers
1,000,000 subscribers
Last updated: July 1, 2020

Miles McKenna (born Amanda McKenna, November 2, 1995[2]) is an American vlogger, actor, and LGBTQIA+ advocate. McKenna is a trans man and is among YouTube's most prominent trans creators with over one million subscribers. His[3] videos incorporate comedic skits and often include commentary on gender identity and other LGBTQ issues. Through his videos, McKenna documented his coming out and his transition, including the effects of hormone replacement therapy and top surgery.

Early life and vlogging

Based in Los Angeles, California, McKenna grew up in a strict religious family.[4] As a teenager, he lived in Orange County, California[5] and started making confessional-style videos for YouTube in 2011.[5] McKenna "hated being seen as a girl"[5] and after friends Ezra and Marshall Kelly described McKenna as "a boy trapped in a girl's body", McKenna realized he had a crisis of identity.[6] McKenna came out in 2015.[5]

During McKenna's transition, he documented the process through his vlogs, including changes in his appearance and struggles with his family.[5] In a January 2017 video entitled "So I'm Trans", McKenna revealed himself as non-binary and announced intentions to legally change his name.[2] McKenna began taking testosterone as part of FTM hormone replacement therapy.[7] He developed a severe case of cystic acne on his face and body.[7] He attempted to address the skin condition with his physician, was placed on antibiotics for 60 days,[7] and made dietary changes.[7] The condition cleared up after he stopped taking testosterone.[7] McKenna later elected to have top surgery and identified himself as a trans man.[5]

Later career

As a YouTuber, McKenna vlogs under the account MilesChronicles and has some 1.18 million subscribers. For four years previous to his transition he vlogged under the account name AmandaChronicles. The account features comedy, skits, and commentary on topics such as gender identity and gender dysphoria.[7] Subscribers to McKenna's channel have said that his videos empowered them to be open about their gender identities.[5] McKenna also has over 811,000 followers on Instagram.[8]

McKenna is partnered with the network Fullscreen[9] and hosted the short-form docuseries Hella Gay with Miles McKenna,[10] which featured man on the street interviews. He also had a role on the interactive drama series Guilty Party.[9] McKenna signed with the United Talent Agency in August 2017.[9] McKenna headlined the 2017 Love is Love tour alongside Shannon Beveridge and Rebecca Black.[2] McKenna played the character Justin in All Night, a 2018 comedy web series on Hulu.[11] At the 10th Shorty Awards, McKenna won the award for Best LGBTQ+ Account.[12] He was also presenter for the 11th Shorty Awards in 2019.[13]

As an out trans person, McKenna is frequently the target of harassment campaigns.[5] Following a controversial Brown University study of "rapid onset gender dysphoria" in 2018, McKenna was among the digital influencers blamed for glamorizing the "transgender lifestyle"[14] During VidCon 2019, McKenna was part of a panel on LGBT activism and awareness. During the session, moderator Stevie Wynne Levine deadnamed McKenna, using his pre-transition name and pronouns.[15] In her apology, she stated that she did not know it was inappropriate. VidCon and panel presenters The Trevor Project both also issued apologies to McKenna.[16] Following the cancellation of VidCon 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, McKenna agreed to take part in a virtual panel with Elle Mills for VidCon Now.[17]

McKenna's book about coming out, Out!: How To Be Your Authentic Self, was published in May 2020 and released on International Coming Out Day, October 6, 2020. The foreword is by fellow YouTuber Tyler Oakley. Some of the proceeds from the book go to GLSEN.[8]

On October 12, 2020, McKenna released his first single, "Boys Will Be Boys", on Spotify.[citation needed]

In 2021, McKenna began a relationship with Los Angeles-based drag queen Jonnie Reinhart. As of 2022, the pair have split.[18]

Filmography[19]
Year Title Role Notes
2017 Hella Gay With Miles Mckenna Himself, Producer TV series
2017-18 Guilty Party Alex(S1)/Dan Rolland(S2) AT&T series
2018 Good Girls Get High Pizza Ken Movie
2018 All Night Justin Hulu series
2020 Nocturne Alexis Amazon Prime Original
2023–present Goosebumps James Disney+ TV Series

References

  1. ^ a b "About MilesChronicles". YouTube.
  2. ^ a b c Townsend, Benedict (February 22, 2017). "Miles McKenna Just Switched Up Their YouTube Channel In a BIG Way". We The Unicorns. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  3. ^ Mckenna uses both he/him and they/them pronouns. This article uses he/him pronouns for consistency.
  4. ^ "Pride Month Spotlight: Miles McKenna". Nerds and Beyond. June 8, 2019. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Lorenz, Taylor (June 22, 2018). "Transitioning on YouTube". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018.
  6. ^ "6 YouTube influencers who are open about their transgender journey". South China Morning Post. January 22, 2020. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Dall'Asen, Nicola (June 3, 2020). "How Miles McKenna Accidentally Became a Skin-Positive Hero". Allure. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Weiss, Geoff (January 17, 2020). "Miles McKenna Unveils Debut Book, The Coming-Out Survival Guide "Out!"". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c Gutelle, Sam (August 29, 2017). "YouTube Star Miles McKenna Signs With Talent Agency UTA". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  10. ^ Spangler, Todd (May 18, 2017). "Drag Queen Star Willam Belli to Host Fullscreen Talk Show as Part of Gay-Pride Content Lineup". Variety. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  11. ^ Palmieri, Lea (April 11, 2018). "'All Night' on Hulu Is The New 'Can't Hardly Wait' of 2018 [EXCLUSIVE]". Decider. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  12. ^ Weiss, Geoff (April 16, 2018). "Wil Dasovich, Nyma Tang, Miles McKenna Named Winners At 10th Annual Shorty Awards". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  13. ^ "Miles McKenna is presenting at the 11th Annual Shorty Awards!". Shorty Awards. May 4, 2019. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  14. ^ Smith, Alissa (December 5, 2018). "Flawed study coining 'rapid-onset gender dysphoria' frightens parents, puts LGBTQ community on the defensive". Colorado Springs Independent. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  15. ^ "Queer woman who deadnamed YouTuber Miles Mckenna 'didn't know' it wasn't OK". PinkNews. July 19, 2019. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  16. ^ Leskin, Paige (July 17, 2019). "A prominent transgender YouTube star was deadnamed at a panel on LGBTQ activism, and it sparked a big discussion and several apologies". Business Insider. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  17. ^ Spangler, Todd (June 15, 2020). "VidCon Isn't Happening in Anaheim, So It's Launching a Free Series of Online Programming All Summer". Variety. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "Instagram". Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  19. ^ "Miles McKenna". IMDb. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.

Further reading

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