Arts & Entertainment
‘Gingers have souls’ YouTube star comes out as transgender
CopperCab explains five-month absence
(Screenshot via YouTube)
Claire Kittrell, known as CopperCab on YouTube and whose former name is Michael Kittrell, announced she is transgender in an emotional video posted on Tuesday.
Kittrell became an internet sensation for her 2010 video “Gingers Do Have Souls,” an angry rant about being bullied for having red hair. The video went viral with more than 40 million views and was parodied on an episode of “South Park.”
In the newly uploaded video “I’m done pretending,” Kittrell came out publicly about her gender transition.
“I’m not going to live another year of my life pretending to be someone else. I’m just not going to do it,” Kittrell, 23, says in the video. “I know a lot of you are going to make fun of me. I know a lot of you are going to think that I’m joking. This is the hardest video I’ve ever made, because I’m not.”
Kittrell goes on to explain that she has been absent from YouTube for the past five months because she has been undergoing hormone replacement surgery. She also says that during the time she made the “Gingers Do Have Souls” video, she was not only teased at her high school for being a redhead but also for being “more feminine than the other guys.”
She continued on that didn’t have many friends, didn’t play sports and was “very lonely.”
The YouTube star credits Caitlyn Jenner’s public transition to helping her decide to begin her own.
“I’m not going to pretend to be someone else anymore. Not in front of the camera and not behind one,” she added. “It may seem cliché, but Caitlyn Jenner helped me out a lot. I know that she gets a lot of flack because she is a lady of means. She has a lot of money and not every trans person can look like her because she’s able to afford surgery.”
Kittrell says she still is not able to afford surgery, but her transition is still enough for her.
“This is me. My name is Claire and this is the beginning of my life. Wish me luck,” Kittrell signs off the video.
2025 D.C. Trans Pride was held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, May 17. The day was filled with panel discussions, art, social events, speakers, a resource fair and the Engendered Spirit Awards. Awardees included Lyra McMillan, Pip Baitinger, Steph Niaupari and Hayden Gise. The keynote address was delivered by athlete and advocate Schuyler Bailar.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.
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The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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