Dylan Mulvaney reveals how she did not speak to her mother for six months during her transition while giving guest lecture to half-empty auditorium at Penn State

Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney shared her journey during a recent lecture at Penn State, revealing a period of estrangement from her mother during her “difficult” transition while giving a guest lecture to a half-empty room.

Mulvaney discussed her struggles and dreams Friday evening before a small group of Penn State students, highlighting her passion for theater and her upcoming one-woman show.

The event, funded by student fees, had a low turnout, documented by images shared by the Young America's Foundation, which revealed rows of empty seats in the room where the 26-year-old was scheduled to take the stage.

Mulvaney, wearing a Penn State jacket, led a Penn State song and said that despite her challenging transition and the controversy over her Bud Light promotion, she can now focus on her career.

“It was the hardest year of my life,” she said, as reported by Penn State's campus newspaper, Onward State. 'My next musical theater dream is to make a production with many transgender people on stage.'

Mulvaney emphasized the importance of “gender identity” and the right to be treated with respect.

The actress highlighted the challenges transgender people face in musical theater and expressed her desire to make room for Black trans voices.

“You have a right to be treated with respect,” Mulvaney said. “I never saw myself as an activist, and then I was invited to the White House to interview the president,” she laughed.

On a lighter note, Mulvaney discussed her fashion choices and encouraged students to embrace their personal style.

“If you have that favorite outfit and you're too afraid to wear it to campus, just wear it in your room,” she added during her talk in State College.

Online comments followed with users mocking Mulvaney, joking about the low turnout and questioning the speaker's authenticity.

“He can imagine his audience the way he imagines his gender,” one user commented on X.

“Oh, well, I'm sure the place is sold out,” another joked.

“Dylan is a con artist. It's time people see him for who he really is,” a third user wrote.

Mulvaney's speaking fees and the number of students who would sign up remain unclear.

“Students must register for this event,” the invitation read. “Once tickets sell out, students who attempt to apply will be placed on the waitlist.”

“Students should remain on this waitlist in case they find themselves on the RSVP list. If a student is still on the waitlist at the time of the event, he or she will be directed to the standby line and admission to the event is not guaranteed. Once all ticketed visitors have been granted access, those in the standby line will be admitted as soon as capacity allows.'

This comes just a week after the transgender influencer was named to Forbes' annual '30 Under 30' list, with the magazine praising her for weathering the fallout from the disastrous Bud Light campaign, and Mulvaney herself accusing the beer company of to have thrown her away to the wolves.

Mulvaney, 26, shared the digital cover on Instagram, writing: “Businesswoman special!!! This was my dream, I couldn't be more grateful. And buckle up, we're just getting started.”

She is described in the online article as an actress and LGBTQ+ activist who “gained viral fame with her TikTok series 'Days of Girlhood,' which documented her gender transition and has been viewed more than 1 billion times.”

There's also a reference to Mulvaney's Bud Light campaign, which debuted in March: Forbes says the Californian influencer “found himself at the center of an unexpected political crossfire” after the beer ad. She earned $2 million this year from promotional work and signed deals with Nike and Mac.

The Bud Light ad sparked a boycott and cost the company nearly $400 million in U.S. sales.

Mulvaney told Forbes that the brief collaboration had been educational and that she felt let down by the brand.

“I now realize that when I work with a brand, they will forever be part of my story,” she said.

“And I want there to be mutual respect – and not just for me, but for my community.”

Mulvaney said it was “great” to be recognized by Forbes, adding: “I think I'm becoming a bit of a businesswoman.

'As much as I love the creative side, I love getting smarter: I want to know everything and how it all works. Of course I'm in front of the camera, but I like the idea of ​​producing and I think: why not learn everything.'

She said it was never her intention to become a spokesperson for the trans community.

“I'm just asking for grace as I learn so many things and navigate not only transness, but this new found success.

'It happened very quickly. And that's what I like about social media: you come up with it so quickly.'