Jeffrey Marsh: A Clicktivist for the LGBTQ Community
Jeffrey Marsh; a non-binary author, LGBTQ activist, and speaker who has gained an increasingly visible online presence. Marsh was born on July 7, 1977 in York Pennsylvania, and they currently reside in New York City. Out of respect for Marsh’s gender identity, Marsh will be referred to with they, them, and their pronouns (as opposed to he/his/him or she/her/hers). Marsh began to expand their audience with their start on Vine, though they had no intentions of becoming a public figure. Marsh is most well-known for inspiring the viral hashtags #DontSayThatsSoGay and #NoTimetoHateMyself. They are unique in comparison to activists in the past because they are engaging in a form of activism never seen before, “Clicktivism”, which is seen through their use of social media to promote multiple social causes, predominantly those associated with the LGBTQ community. Marsh highlights the significance of the personal aesthetic that vine had over other social media platforms such as Twitter. They value having the opportunity to make virtual eye contact with their audience and recognizes the impact that a video can have on an individual as opposed to the written word.
Jeffrey Marsh’s main objective is to promote self-love amongst all, but with a special focus on the LGBTQ community. They not only provide representation for non-binary individuals, but speak about social issues with eloquence, with liberal and conservative identified parties alike. In an interview between Marsh and Dennis Michal Lynch on Unfiltered, Lynch admits that he is out of his comfort-zone during the interview multiple times, and asks Marsh very personal and some would deem inappropriate questions but Marsh answers them fully and with the upmost respect the way they conducted themselves was truly inspiring. Marsh also discusses their book during this interview, and his experience with coming to terms with their gender identity as a person born in the late 70’s.
An example of the representation they provide outside of their own social media accounts is when Marsh was used as the first non-binary model for bridal wear. As of August 2, 2016, they are also the author of the book “How to be You”. In writing this book Marsh extends their reach and can get more personal with their followers. They can also speak of their experiences in greater depth, all while to guiding people in navigating their own self-worth. With their book Marsh also became the first openly non-binary person to be published by Penguin Random House.
Marsh is open with their experiences as a non-binary person with their audience. In a piece, they wrote for Time Magazine Marsh opens up about harassment they have faced due to their non-binary status. They describe a time when they were female presenting (wearing make-up, and women’s clothes) on public transportation in New York City. They begin by describing the emotions they felt before the harassment occurred, setting the story right after a musical performance, and describing the high a performer feels after performance. They contrast this description with the depiction of teenage age boys on the bus that started out pointing and laughing at Marsh, and lead to those boys eventual shouting anti-gay slurs at Marsh from across the bus. Marsh uses the description of this experience to lead into a segment of their book “How to be You”. Marsh uses their personal experiences with discrimination, harassment, and self-hate to provide advice for their audience as well as be a person for those not in the LGBTQ community to see and learn from.
      Marsh admits that their start on Vine was not intentional, and their growing fan base was very much a surprise to them. They also admit that the process was not instantaneous, like a viral video but much more gradual to the point that they didn’t recognize their growing popularity and fan base.
      If Jeffrey Marsh was not alive I know that the world would be worse off, or at least their primary followers would be. Marsh highlights that they try to focus on the gradual impact they are making on the lives of others, but acknowledges the letters they have received from followers explaining how the 6 second videos, created by Marsh, have saved their lives.
About. Retrieved February 24, 2017, from http://www.jeffreymarsh.com/about/
BuzzFeed, both, Vine…, & Marsh, J. (2017). How to be you by Jeffrey Marsh. Retrieved from http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/536846/how-to-be-you-by-jeffrey-marsh/9780143110125/
Clark, C. (2016, August 1). This gender fluid wedding dress photo shoot gives zero fucks about the “gender binary.” Retrieved February 24, 2017, from http://offbeatbride.com/gender-fluid-wedding-dress/
Marsh, J. (2017). How to handle trolls and haters. Retrieved February 24, 2017, from http://time.com/4394691/jeffrey-marsh-how-to-be-you/
Media, N. DML Unfiltered | Jeffrey Marsh discusses his new book, “how to be you” Retrieved from http://www.newsmaxtv.com/vod/DML-Unfiltered-Jeffrey-Marsh-discusses-his-new-book-How-to-Be-You/vid/t5dTFyNDE6oNV84UhoOYG4qYH9S5vvoU
 TheHuffingtonPost (2014, December 13). Meet the Genderqueer vine star changing hearts and minds One Hashtag at A time. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/13/jeffrey-marsh-vine-star_n_6311896.html
amandla
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
germansingergirl