tertainer and absolute icon. Her
journey is far from slowing down
as she continues to thrive on
YouTube while writing a book, all
with her wife and 770k+ devoted
subscribers by her side.

REPRESENTATION IS THE
DESTINATION
Growing up as a disabled lesbian,
Jessica Kellgren-Fozard wasn’t
provided with representation in
mainstream media. This made
it difficult for her to imagine a
future where she could have a ca-
reer in entertainment—until she
discovered YouTube.
“YouTube is a wonderful plat-
form in my eyes because I can
make content around my body’s
schedule—which is unhelpfully all
over the place!— [and] not have to
go through gatekeepers who ques-
tion whether I’m ‘too disabled’ or
‘not visibly disabled enough’ to be
a presenter AND at the same time provide to others some of that much-needed repre-
sentation I was lacking”.
The scarcity of representation didn’t stop with the
media, as Jessica came to realize that these discon-
nects also happen in our everyday life. Growing up,
we experience the same culture as the generations
in our community before us—we eat the same foods,
continue traditions and share stories of ancestors.
When we live with something that isn’t handed down
between generations, such as sexual orientation or
disability, we’re forced to seek out our own communi-
ties to understand what that world is like.
Jessica aims to provide this representation and
knowledge, noting that “Knowing the history of your
community helps you to feel proud of your identity; to
realize that others like you have done great things and
to inspire you to do the same. Equally, realizing that
you’re gay doesn’t immediately flood your head with
all of the knowledge you need to navigate life as a gay

https://twitter.com/JessicaOOTC

REALIZING

THAT YOU’RE

GAY DOESN’T

IMMEDIATELY

FLOOD YOUR

HEAD WITH

ALL OF THE

KNOWLEDGE

YOU NEED

TO NAVIGATE

LIFE AS A GAY

PERSON.

“

JESSICA KELLGREN-FOZARDÒ

YOUTUBE’S GAY DISABLED SWEETHEART