'Philosophy Tube' Creator, Abigail Thorn, Comes Out as Trans

YouTube creator Abigail Thorn came out as trans on her popular Philosophy Tube account. Thorn made the announcement in a letter she posted and read to her 856,000 followers, thanking those who respected her privacy on the matter and informing them she will use she/her pronouns.

"Hello friends," Thorn wrote and read in the announcement. "I'm delighted to say I'm a trans woman; my name is Abigail and you can refer to me with she/her."

The 27-year-old philosopher who earned her Masters degree at the University of St. Andrews went on to reveal "it's so lovely to finally relax, to sleep well with sweet dreams and be at home in myself!" However, she was also "scared," saying that "things are very, very bad for trans people in the U.K." where she lives. She then noted the deficiencies in the National Health Service rules regarding treatment of trans patients, with added red tape, unnecessary steps, and intrusive psychiatric interrogations.

In 2013, she launched her Philosophy Tube channel on YouTube to provide free lessons on the subject in response to an increase in British tuition fees the previous year. The channel now has over 856,000 followers who listen to the lectures, theatrical skits, and more that are used to explain philosophy to viewers. The account posted a trans coming out story over the weekend.

In Thorn's own letter and video posted to Twitter, she pulled no punches in calling out the dangers in society for the trans community, pointing out that "trans people, especially trans people of color, are hit hardest by unemployment, homeless, and domestic, sexual, and police violence, but the conversation always focuses on wealthy white cis women tweeting about toilets." She also had little patience for "overworked journalists often don't know much about our lives" but instead let "antifeminists and religious extremists feed the pseudoscience and fear mongering" to their readers.

While she "might only be an actress," Thorn quickly pointed out she was also a feminist who "can't submit to civic inferiority or give up control" of her body, and it's pretty clear she's not worried about offending any bigots or haters along the way.

"In my view feminism isn't a tea party with the Queen or a girlboss brunch with #femspirational CEOs, it's our common struggle to be free.

Thorn said she has no plans to shelve her acting career and Philosophy Tube video lessons. She asked that others respect her privacy and "treat everyone with kindness and patience," even those who don't treat her kindly.

She concluded with a note of encouragement.

"These are scary times, but 'courage calls to courage everywhere and its voice cannot be denied,'" the newly liberated philosopher said. "Even when other people make it hard, being trans is a gift. My love goes out to every trans person reading my words in Britain or overseas, especially those who can't come out - yet!"

RELATED | Student Delivers Epic Response to Professor Using Improper Pronouns