TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney has opened up about dating as a transgender woman.
The 26-year-old influencer rose to TikTok fame from documenting her transition over the past year, filming each day “of being a girl”. Since then, Mulvaney – who now has more than 10 million followers on the app – walked her first Grammys red carpet earlier this year and candidly shared with her followers the results of her facial feminisation surgery.
Now, the influencer has revealed in a new interview with People the one thing she has yet to do as a woman. That is, have her first kiss.
“I’m getting a little impatient because, especially when you’re feeling yourself and even looking at that Grammys picture, I’m like, that’s somebody who should not be single,” she told the outlet on Thursday 2 March. “But then you’re like, wait, why is no one in the DMs?”
Mulvaney, who identifies as queer, explained why she feels her transition journey has given her a new opportunity to approach dating in an entirely different light. “I very much feel like I get a do-over as far as some of those negative experiences that I have had romantically,” she said. “And I want to do it right this time.”
The social media star also spoke about the importance of showing her fans and followers what it looks like to be in a “healthy, happy relationship” as a trans woman.
“I can’t wait for the day that I get to show people that a trans person can be in a healthy, happy relationship,” she continued, before envisioning her ideal partner. “I really want somebody to make me laugh because so much of starting to succeed and have these great things come has been a little serious at times, having to put this businesswoman hat on.
“But I think once I do meet that person that can add some levity, add some lightness back to my life and I know that I can make them laugh in the same way, that is going to be chef’s kiss.”
Mulvaney added that she can’t wait for the day when she can “walk in the door, drop my bags and just lay with somebody on the couch or have somebody else cook dinner for once.”
Apart from her widely popular TikTok, Mulvaney also boasts 1.7m followers on Instagram. The influencer is also set to celebrate day 365 of being a girl on 13 March with a live-streamed variety show at the Rainbow Room in New York City, whose ticket sales will benefit The Trevor Project.
Although Mulvaney shares much of her personal life on social media, that doesn’t necessarily mean the person she dates will sign up for the same. When asked whether her newfound fame has deterred her from finding dates, Mulvaney replied: “I’ve gotten on these apps now, and I think there’s something daunting about the fact that I am so public about my life.”
However, she admitted that when she does find someone special, she plans on keeping their relationship private. “I don’t want to be airing out all of my relationship dirty laundry, à la Carrie Bradshaw vibes.”
Despite receiving overwhelming support for her transition journey, Mulvaney has also received her fair share of negative comments from online trolls – much of which came after her appearance at this year’s Grammy Awards.
Mulvaney came under fire after many fans believed she was “talking over” Orange is the New Black star Laverne Cox when she introduced herself to the transgender actress on the Grammys red carpet. In a TikTok video posted to Mulvaney’s page, Cox shared a message to Mulvaney’s followers and fans, expressing her gratitude to those who were supporting the TikTok star.
“I want to say to everyone who is supporting her, thank you. I think it’s really important that we have support from people and love from folks and I see all the love that you give her and it’s so important,” Cox said. “It’s not just important for her, it’s important for all the trans people out there who maybe aren’t getting that.”
Mulvaney then added her own message: “Please give that love that you give to us to every trans person,” to which Cox added: “Absolutely.”
Although many of Mulvaney’s fans celebrated the interaction, others criticised her behaviour during the conversation and accused the TikToker of “speaking over” Cox.
“Stop speaking over her. I understand you’re excited but let her speak,” one viewer wrote, while another said: “I love this but please don’t interrupt Laverne Cox when she’s speaking.”
“Maybe if she’s your idol don’t keep interrupting her,” someone else wrote.
The comments then prompted a response from Mulvaney, who shared in a follow-up video that she was nervous to speak to Cox and acknowledged that she’s a “work in progress”.
“You know when you get really nervous? For me, when I get nervous I just, like, can’t stop talking,” Mulvaney said. “I’m just, like, word vomit. Well, I totally disrupted her and I feel terrible and I really apologise for that because I watched it back and here you’ve got me, who’s been doing this for less than a year, and then you’ve got the most evolved, amazing trans woman on the planet speaking her truth and I’m talking over her. And so I apologise for that.”
