Jude[a] (born 21 April 2000), known professionally as F1NN5TER,[b] is an English online streamer, YouTuber, and internet personality known for long-term cross-dressing. A Twitch streamer, TikToker, and a YouTuber, he[c] began cross-dressing as a campaign in which he would dress as his e-girl persona Rose for a month if he received a certain amount of money in donations. This started at around $100 in 2020, but increased steadily to multiple thousands of dollars over time with every donation goal met. He gained broader attention in 2023 when Twitch temporarily banned him for allegedly violating a policy usually applied only to women. Later in 2023, he donated $50,000 to the transgender medical care provider GenderGP together with a friend. In March 2024, he came out as genderfluid (preferring he/him) and shared that he had started feminizing hormone replacement therapy, saying that through crossdressing "I'd uncovered a part of myself that I had been purposely shutting down".[3]
Streaming career
F1NN5TER has streamed video games on YouTube and Twitch. He would sometimes cross-dress as an e-girl character named Rose,[4] and in 2020 began a campaign called "Girl Week" (eventually "Girl Month"), in which he would dress as a girl for a month if he received a certain amount (usually between $5000 and $30000) in donations.[4][5] F1NN5TER grew his hair long and gained popularity on TikTok in clips where his e-girl aesthetic included long false eyelashes and thigh-highs adorned with bows.[5] The "Girl Month" campaign resulted in years of crossdressing and officially ended in 2023 with him explaining that it doesn't feel like "dressing as a girl" anymore, but rather just dressing like himself.[F 6]: 28:40
In season 2 of the MC Championship, a Minecraft tournament, F1NN5TER was on the winning team in events 16 (August 2021) and 23 (July 2022).[6]
On 7 February 2023, F1NN5TER was suspended from Twitch for three days. While Twitch did not provide a reason publicly, F1NN5TER said that they privately said the ban was for "prolonged touching of female presenting breasts".[7] F1NN5TER, who at the time identified as a cisgender man and a femboy,[1] said that he had been adjusting his bra and opined that "As a man, touching your chest can now be bannable depending on how feminine Twitch sees you :)".[7] According to GameRevolution, Twitch's rules for clothing have long been criticised as vague, and the platform also has a "Pools, Hot Tubs, and Beaches" category.[7] Issy van der Velde of TheGamer criticised Twitch for "deciding a streamer's gender for them" and posed the converse question of whether a masculine-presenting woman would be exempt from the policy F1NN5TER was said to violate, also expressing concerns about how the rule would be applied to trans men.[5] The case was later cited by Charlie Ferguson in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review as an example of how "attire can communicate a message about gender regardless of whether the wearer intended to share said message".[1]
A selfie F1NN5TER posted in March 2024 to illustrate the effects of hormone replacement therapy[F 7]
The same week, F1NN5TER was quoted in The Mary Sue for his response to PragerU's criticism of men wearing women's clothing: "But what if it’s reeeeaaallly fun".[8]
F1NN5TER announced an intention in December 2022 to donate to an organisation, and in May 2023 chose GenderGP, the only private provider of healthcare for transgender youth in the United Kingdom. He donated $50,000 together with a friend and viewer of his (Tenmuses), which Watermark compared to Hbomberguy's fundraiser for Mermaids in 2019.[4][F 8]: 14:47
On 1 March 2024, F1NN5TER uploaded a YouTube video titled "Coming Out",[F 4] in which he explained that he had begun crossdressing "for a 'meme'",[9] but that his crossdressing had attracted more trans viewers, and that through them he had learned more about the transgender community.[3] He said that as he explored his gender, "It felt a bit like I'd uncovered a part of myself that I'd been purposely shutting down for as long as I could remember, and never questioned why." He said that he had been taking feminizing hormone therapy and considered himself genderfluid, expressing openness to all third-person pronouns but personally preferring he/him.[3][c] F1NN5TER added that he is bisexual and closed the video with brief conversations with his parents, who expressed their support.[9]
Notes
^F1NN5TER does not disclose his full name for privacy reasons.
^/ˈfɪnstər/, like Finster. Sometimes rendered in lowercase; sometimes shortened to F1NN, F1nn, or Finn; sometimes spelled Finnster by third parties.[1][2][F 3]
^ abIn his coming-out video, F1NN5TER says he is open to being referred to by any pronouns, but has a preference for he/him.[F 4]: 3:12 His Twitter bio as of 4 April 2024[update] says "genderfluid (he/she)" and "her pronouns are he him".[F 5] This article uses he/him for consistency.
