On December 5th, the Alumni Hall at Penn State was graced by the one and only, Dylan Mulvaney! For those unfamiliar with her, Dylan is an actress and internet personality who gained attention for her gender transition on TikTok. She documented this process through her series, “Days of Girlhood.” At her speaking event on our campus, she talked about a range of topics, from things close to the hearts of both her and many people in the audience to more light-hearted topics to end the night.
The event was moderated by VALLEY’s very own, Jade Bramwell! With Bramwell taking the stage to introduce the day’s guest, Mulvaney entered the Alumni Hall, all smiles as she made her way up to the stage. She was entirely on theme, clad head to toe in blue and white Penn State merchandise and roping the audience into a “We Are” chant upon entrance.
Mulvaney talked about this not being her first time in State College — having previously been here for a Broadway musical tour for “Book of Mormon.” Although, she did cite not having tried out Berkey Creamery’s ice cream just yet, something now on her agenda for the day.
While Mulvaney’s rise to fame has largely been due to her presence on the internet, one of the main things she talked about throughout the night was her passion for theatre and the arts. In her youth, she had found that musical theatre as an industry was very strict in terms of conforming to gender roles, not even allowing actors to audition with songs sung by the opposite sex. Even someone who has now transitioned and is trying to experience a new identity alongside that of being an actor, Mulvaney has faced challenges in terms of the “set” key for classic musicals.
“My next musical theater dream is to do a production with a lot of trans people on stage.”
Dylan Mulvaney
Mulvaney also talked about recognizing the trans women, particularly those of color, who came before her and paved the way for others like them. A recurring theme in her talk was her dreams for the future and what she wants to be able to do with her platform and listening, learning and recognizing these women was a large part of it.
The media has, regardless of Mulvaney’s intentions to appear as such, labeled her as a trans activist. She joked about feeling a sort of impostor syndrome when it came to things like being invited to the White House to speak with the President or even accepting awards despite knowing the backlash that would come from doing so. Mulvaney was thankful to have a “seat at the table” despite feeling like she still had some ways to go in terms of her activism.
Mulvaney’s advice for those in the audience and the world in general was to “lean into the fear sometimes.”
“You are not limited to the one thing that’s happening in your life right now.”
Dylan Mulvaney
Perhaps the most heartwarming part of the night overall, some students in the audience had the chance to approach Mulvaney with questions that they may have. One student asked about how they could convince their family to use their preferred pronouns, to which Mulvaney cited her own experience when coming out as a trans woman to her mother.
She talked about having cut her off for nearly six months, prompting her mother to then realize and accept Mulvaney as she was. While she didn’t recommend doing exactly that, she did talk about allowing yourself to feel entitled to respect in that way, even — and especially from those closest to you.
Every single student who asked her a question received a comforting hug from her, and the audience was immediately inclined to feel the love and care that Mulvaney held for the world.
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