Kat Blaque

Kat Blaque is an animator, illustrator, and notable YouTuber from Southern California who has been openly blogging about her life for the past 10+ years on YouTube. Not only does she maintain a strong presence on her personal channel, boasting over 503,000 subscribers and 39.50 million total views, but she has also guest appeared on other popular YouTube channels such as BuzzFeed. Her content focuses on essential social justice issues, particularly discussions about race, gender, and LGBT rights, making significant contributions to the social media landscape through her educational and enlightening videos.

Experiencing the ups and downs of New Media, she has ultimately concluded that social media is a powerful force for change and awareness. Blaque's YouTube channel has become such a central resource that her videos are regularly shown as educational tools in classrooms. Her work extends beyond YouTube, with projects such as animating fellow artist Franchesca Ramsey's story "Sometimes You're A Caterpillar."

She playfully refers to herself as an “intersectionality salad” as she embodies various identities and experiences. As a woman and survivor of rape and sexual assault, she is very passionate about fostering conversations where survivors and victims alike can feel as though they have a voice. As an outspoken feminist, she’s often on the receiving end of online harassment that she’s had to learn to accept as a woman who dares to have an opinion. As a Black woman, she is invested in starting conversations about white supremacy and how it’s impacted her own life as well as various others. As a Trans woman, she believes that speaking about her growth and acceptance of self is vital in a world where trans people aren’t seen as valid and their possibilities are often seen as limited.

Blaque’s talks are generally casual in nature and encourage audience participation. She hosts a weekly show on her channel called “True Tea,” where she answers questions sent to her by her followers. This interactive format is a testament to her approachable nature and commitment to fostering an open dialogue with her audience. She finds that people who come to her talks usually want to replicate this, and she loves answering questions from the audience and equally loves starting conversations.

Her influence extends beyond YouTube. She currently contributes to Everyday Feminism, Pride.com, the Huffington Post's Black Voices section, and has appeared on Buzzfeed, MTV News and MTV’s Decoded. Blaque's expertise and perspective are highly sought after, resulting in her participation in panels and events, such as a panel on writing transgender characters at San Diego's Comic-Con and being the keynote speaker at the University of Toledo's LGBTQA History Month celebration.