For many people, their first memories of the early years of YouTube will be of silly cat videos, bonkers animations such as Charlie the Unicorn, and grainy home movies that made global sensations of their unassuming stars, such as the young lads behind “Charlie bit my finger”, before people knew what “viral” meant.

Those formative years are a world away from the YouTube of today, the glossy content of which rivals output by megabucks entertainment firms and has made household names, and multi-millionaires, of the likes of MrBeast, Lilly Singh, KSI and James Charles.

During its 20 years, YouTube has left an indelible mark on internet history, popular culture and wider society – especially for the global LGBTQ+ community.

For LGBTQ+ creators and audiences alike, YouTube quickly became an accessible safe space for young people wanting to talk, and consume content, about their experiences and identity, as well as helping them find people with whom they could connect and relate. For the first time, queer people could truly own their story – unfiltered and unscripted.