Gigi Gorgeous is using YouTube to elicit positivity in the transgender community

This interview is a part of #KanvasLive, an interactive, cross-platform content series brought to life on the Kanvas app and AOL.com. See more on coverage here.

It nearly goes without saying that as the sources of news and information shift to social media and mobile platforms, so do the ways in which people spread their voice and gain inspiration. As the world transitions into a mobile and digital landscape, we find powerful and motivational voices in the worlds of Twitter, Instagram and, in this case, YouTube.

Gigi Gorgeous was nominated for a Shorty Award for being a 'YouTube Guru' for all the right reasons. Besides the fact that she has garnered over 2 million subscribers and nearly 300 million video views, Gigi has become a powerful voice that resonates throughout and on behalf of the transgender community.

Now fully transitioned, Gigi documented her journey from man to woman on YouTube, which beautifully exposes the vulnerable truth behind transitioning. Both those that need help finding self-love and the haters that might change their minds if they see the reality of the situation can be touched by Gigi's video series.

The transgender phenomenon boasts 265,000 Twitter followers and nearly 2 million Instagram followers, and after presenting three awards and being honored for a nomination at the Shortys, it's pretty obvious that Gigi is here to stay. Oh, and did we mention that she's friends with Kylie Jenner?

We were lucky enough to chat with Gigi Gorgeous on the Shorty Awards' teal carpet, where we found out why she was so excited about the Shortys, how important social media is in the role of sharing unheard voices, and, of course, which her favorite emoji is.

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How does it feel to be in the Shortys?

It feels amazing -- I can't believe I'm presenting I'm so nervous to go on stage!

You're nervous!? I would never expect you to say that!

Yes! I still get stage fright.

Is there anyone here tonight you're super excited to see, or any particular award you're excited about?

I'm honestly not excited about anyone because I'm specifically excited about the entire thing. I've never been to the Shorty Awards before, so I'm just really excited to be here and support YouTube.

Right, and you're obviously huge on YouTube -- what advice would you give to someone who's trying to make it on their own in social media?

I would say definitely stay true to who you are, make sure you have a couple of ideas for videos that you want to create, and just have fun with it. That's what I've been doing and it's worked for me and I'm still having fun with it.

So you're obviously doing a lot with beauty, but you're also big into raising awareness. What do you think social media's role is in making sure important voices are being heard?

I think it's really important for people to hear other stories besides their own. I know I've turned a lot of people who didn't think the LGBT community was that great. Once they heard my story and my friends' stories, they were like, "Wow, that's a real person." I think [social media is] an easy and cool way to do it.

And our last question -- do you have a favorite emoji right now?

I would say that it's the girl in pink with her arms over her head! I use it all the time -- it's fun to do a tongue-in-cheek kind of thing. Like, if you say a little bit too much, you can bring it back with that emoji.

See more from the Shorty Awards:

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