In a surprising turn of events at the 2023 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, trans-identifying male TikTok sensation, Dylan Mulvaney, was named “Woman of The Year” by the LGBTQ-focused magazine Attitude. The announcement, made with pride by the event’s host, marked the magazine’s first woman of the year award.
U.K. Magazine Names Dylan Mulvaney ‘Woman Of The Year’ https://t.co/QMQHkgzvEV pic.twitter.com/fvrdBq1AAH
— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) October 12, 2023
As he took the stage to receive his award, Mulvaney expressed his profound sense of honor at receiving the award.
“I am so honored to be with you all tonight, and you know, some see me as the woman of the year, some see me as a woman of a year and some change, as I only publicly came out online 560 days ago, and some people don’t see me as a woman at all,” he stated.
However, the acceptance speech did not leave those who have reservations about his identification as a woman untouched. He took a swipe at those who “don’t see me as a woman at all” and condemned what he labeled as “extremist media,” though he did not directly name any media outlets.
According to Mulvaney, she had been subjected to struggle by “hateful” people.
“Which is why receiving this honor from a queer publication like Attitude means so much more to me. Because here’s what I’ve realized, no matter how hard I try or what I wear or what I say or what surgeries I get, I will never reach an acceptable version of womanhood by those hateful people’s standards,’ he said to the audience.
He continued, “But as long as I have the queer community that sees me for my truth, I’m gonna be okay.”
While Mulvaney’s words may have resonated with wokeists, they left others questioning the criteria for such an award as many deserving women must have been sidelined for a man who just decided his biological gender won’t do.
It'll be great when this stops, and we can celebrate real women again. #mygenderisnotyourcostume https://t.co/sHs7lCi6AR
— Kirsten (@kirstencxoxo) October 12, 2023
The influencer also said during his speech that receiving the award in the U.K. felt relieving as he did not have “that baggage that I was carrying back in the U.S.”
“And I didn’t feel like the trans beer girl. You know, I didn’t walk into rooms and wonder, ‘Oh does that person hate me?’ I was just another gal walking around in a Burberry trench on her way to a West End musical,” he said, referring to the partnership between him and Bud Light earlier this year, which stirred up controversy and led to a widespread boycott of the beer brand
