Introduction
Chella Man (born November 26, 1998) is an American YouTuber, actor, model, artist, and LGBTQ activist. He is known for sharing his experiences as a transgender, deaf, genderqueer, and Jewish person of color. He came to international attention in 2019 portraying mute superhero Jericho in the second season of the DC Universe series Titans.
Early life and education
Chella Man was born November 26, 1998, and is of Jewish and Chinese descent. He was raised in a small town in Central Pennsylvania in a conservative community, where he "did not consider [himself] beautiful".He was assigned female at birth and experienced gender dysphoria during childhood. Man began to lose his hearing at four years old. By age thirteen, he was profoundly deaf, and the next year he received his first Cochlear implant. At sixteen he had a second implant placed on his other ear. Man now communicates in English and American sign language and most closely identifies with the bicultural identity for deaf people. In 2017, after experiencing gender dysphoria throughout his childhood, Man began gender transitioning using testosterone. His use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), along with top surgery, helped with his identity, self-esteem, and body image.
Man is currently a student at The New School in Manhattan where he studies virtual reality programming. He also paints, designs tattoos, and has interest in fashion design. He is in a romantic relationship with MaryV Benoit, an artist and photographer.
Career
In March 2017, he created his YouTube channel where he posted videos about his personal experiences with gender dysphoria, his identity, his love life, and American sign language translation videos to popular songs. Man stated in an interview with Teen Vogue, "There is an extreme lack of representation for young, Deaf, queer, Jewish, Asian, transgender artists...So, I decided to be my own representation." Man also posts videos that attempt to mobilize young voters and discuss the political effects of the Trump administration, who he does not support. Man began doing so after president Donald Trump visited his high school during his presidential campaign. In May of 2018, Man presented his TedX Talk entitled "Becoming Him" in which he talks about his transition journey and gender issues for LGBTQ youth and people with disabilities.
Man was signed to IMG, a talent management company, as their first deaf Jewish-Asian model in September 2018. Since then, he has modeled for magazines including The Advocate, Bad Hombre, Time Out, and Mission. He has also modeled for brands including Calvin Klein, Gap, and American Eagle.
In March 2019, it was announced that Man would make his acting debut as Jericho, a mute crime fighter, for the DC Universe’s digital series Titans in its second season. Man stated that he connected to the character, who uses sign language to communicate. He discusses the importance of disabled actors playing disabled characters to support proper representation, stating, "Casting disabled actors/actresses for disabled roles will aid to authentically represent and deconstruct stereotypes built around our identities".
Art
Man described how he finds inspiration as "pulled from anything I stumble upon that I find aesthetically pleasing. This could be a Picasso in the MoMA or a polka-dotted hat on the NY subway."He also states that "visual art is not always meant to be put into words."Man reveals that he does not limit his artistic vision, saying, "I have always tried to convey my ideas and concepts across whichever medium suited them best"
Man states that one of his "dreams is creating a clothing line plastered with sketches, photographs, and quotes focusing on my various identities and how they have shaped the man I am today."
Honors and awards
In November of 2018, Man was named to the Out100 list by GLAAD.
In June 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, sparking the start of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, Queerty named him one of the Pride50, “trailblazing individuals who actively ensure society remains moving towards equality, acceptance and dignity for all queer people”.
In 2019, Man was also nominated for a Shorty award under the LGBTQ+ account category.