Cara Cunningham, formerly known as Chris Crocker, has taken to Instagram to annouce she has
started Hormone Replacement Therapy after coming out as transgender.
Let’s get into it!
As many fans might know, Cara Cunningham went viral way back in 2007 with her “Leave Britney
Alone” video.
In the video, Cara spoke out against the mistreatment of Britney Spears, especially by the media,
and emotionally pleaded to the camera while literally begging fans to let the popstar
be.
“Leave Britney Alone, Please!”
Fast forward 14 years later and Cara has been sharing with her fans her all-new identity
after coming out as transgender, and is now documenting her transition on Instagram for
her 1 million followers.
In April of this year, Cara auctioned the original “Leave Britney Alone” footage
as an NFT, or non fungible token.
NFTs are unique digital assets purchased with cryptocurrency.
The footage sold for 18.69 ether, which translates to over $41,000.
At the time, Cara explained her reasoning behind selling the NFT in an interview with
Insider, saying she, quote, “didn't really get anything from [the video] other than to
be put in a box for the next 14 years.”
Cara explained that although there may be a misconception that she made money off the
video, it was originally posted on MySpace and was never even monetized on YouTube.
Cara also stated that the money would first go towards helping her grandmother, and hoped
that any leftover money would be put towards, quote, “me being able to become myself.”
Just yesterday, Cara took to Instagram to clarify that after using the money to aid
loved ones and take care of other responsibilities, she is, quote, “currently still struggling
to fully fund [my] transition but am grateful that I am now on hormones & working towards
my goal.”
Cara announced this pivotal step in her transition on Tuesday, sharing on Instagram, quote, “Tomorrow
is my appointment for hormone replacement therapy.
It’s been 33 years coming and I’m happy to be in a place where I can embrace who I
am.
I have put my identity & personal happiness aside for so long, out of fear or rejection
or me not wanting to embarrass my family.”
Cara continues, quote, “As my transition progresses - I will not be answering to Chris.
It’s Cara.”
She goes on to explain that Crocker was actually a stage name used to protect her identity
when she was receiving online threats, and concluded by saying, quote, “I’m not living
out of fear or anyone else’s terms any longer.”
And this moment certainly is a long time coming.
Cara shared this video on Instagram of a conversation with her grandmother from when she was a teen.
“When did you realize that I was transgender?
That means I’m a female.”
The caption reads, quote, “We’ve made so much progress since this video, when I
was 17.”
We are so happy for Cara, and wish her all the best as she embarks on this exciting chapter!
And Cara has been receiving so much love on social media surrounding her transition.
One person commented on her Instagram page, quote, “Welcome home Cara.
We’re all so happy to support you in this journey.”
Another fan tweeted, “what I can't get over is Cara (Chris Crocker) came out pretty damn
explicitly as trans when she was like 17, but it was just sort of ignored until she
gave up.
I'm so happy for her now but god, this just happens too often.
I hope we continue to fail trans teens less and less.”
Not only that, but fans have also been praising Cara for supporting Britney Spears LONG before
the #FreeBritney movement came to be.
This person wrote, “Today deserves a shout out to Chris Crocker.
First we laughed at you, then we agreed with you, and today finally they are going to ‘leave
Britney alone’.
You were ahead of the curve.”
And another person put it simply, adding, “I just want to point out that Chris Crocker
was right about Britney Spears the whole time.”
We would like to note that these tweets were posted before Cara came out as Cara.
And, yes, we have to give credit where it’s due!
Cara was definitely right way back then, and we are so glad Britney is finally receiving
the justice and support she deserves.
To learn more about Britney’s conservatorship battle, click right over here for another
Clevver News video.
Then hop to the comments and leave your well-wishes for Cara as she continues her transition.
As always, I’m your host Renee Ariel, you can follow me on socials @reneeariel, and
I’ll see you next time!