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Kay Manuel talks to the Star Observer about just how much life has changed in the months since she found herself at the centre of a media circus last year.

When OnlyFans model Kay Manuel was outed without her consent as transgender late last year, the backlash was swift and intense.

Now, just a few months later, Kay is thriving, turning controversy into opportunity, proving that resilience and business savvy can turn even the toughest situations around.

Michael James caught up with Kay to discuss how life has changed since she was thrown into the spotlight, and what the future holds for her.

Kay Manuel is thriving

鈥淚t has not settled at all,鈥� Kay says, laughing. 鈥淚鈥檓 running back and forth from airports, travelling everywhere. I鈥檝e got so much lined up鈥攊t鈥檚 ridiculous.鈥�

Despite the initial wave of negativity following her public outing, Kay鈥檚 career has taken off.

Media attention, brand collaborations, and international bookings have filled her schedule. 鈥淚 fly to Sydney in a few days for photo shoots, then I鈥檓 off overseas for more filming. I鈥檓 literally back in the country for 24 hours before heading to Cancun for spring break filming.鈥�

Life has not slowed down for the star and she is loving every minute of it.

Her rapid rise to fame has been overwhelming, but she鈥檚 embracing the journey. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a gradual build-up, but being outed was a massive turning point. It shifted everything.鈥�

Kay acknowledges that the exposure, even if negative, has worked in her favour. 鈥淎t first, it was a lot to process,鈥� she admits.

鈥淚 never wanted my private life to be public, but at the end of the day, who benefited? Me. And I鈥檓 a very business-minded girl.鈥�

For Kay, OnlyFans is more than just content creation it鈥檚 a strategic business that requires time and effort to market herself and maintain her income.

鈥淢arketing and PR are the biggest part of this job. Content is only about 5% of it. You can film all you want, but if no one is watching, it doesn鈥檛 matter” she says.

With her newfound fame and fans finding out about her personal life Kay has experienced a significant shift in subscribers.

鈥淣ow that people know, it鈥檚 a huge market. But I鈥檓 not necessarily trying to tap into it鈥擨 just let people find me.鈥�

 

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Staying True to Herself

Despite the scrutiny, Kay remains unapologetically herself. Whilst she does not shy away from being transgender or attempt to hide it, it’s something that she doesn’t identify with as part of her daily life.

鈥淚 will never be an advocate for anything,鈥� she states. 鈥淚鈥檝e never really identified as trans in my personal life. I just see myself as me.鈥�

“If you had to put it into a term of, ‘what, are you?’ Yes I would have to identify as trans because obviously I can’t identify as a cis female” she says.聽

“I don’t think I have to go out to the public and you know, say it in every single reel or put the flag in my bio, it’s no-one’s business unless I’m sleeping with them, or you know I will tell guys before I go on a date with them. But do I have to go on social media and spill all? No I don’t have to.”

While she understands that visibility is important for some, she prefers to keep that aspect of her identity in the background.

“I’m not at all ashamed of it, but it’s just not something that I ever wanted to dive into. But now that it’s out there it’s out there.”

“It’s not that I’m hiding it. I obviously did my best to make sure that it took as long as it did to come out. But you know, people can tell, I’ve got a bit of a deep voice, people aren’t dumb!”

鈥淏ut now that it’s out there I鈥檓 rolling with it.鈥�

Dealing with Harassment and Security Concerns

The media exposure brought unwanted attention, not just to Kay, but to her family. At the time camera crews were not just following and harassing her but also turning up on the doorstep of her family members as well.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 even know my own grandmother鈥檚 address, but somehow the Daily Mail found it,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey did their job well, but it was definitely overstepping.鈥�

Now three months on the attention has died down and her family are being left alone, but often she still finds herself being recognised regularly.

鈥淪ometimes I feel like someone鈥檚 watching. In early January, I caught a guy taking photos of me and Justin Ryan while filming an Instagram skit. He had a big professional camera, but I鈥檝e never seen those images surface.鈥�

Being recognised can be great for a career, but also comes with safety concerns as well, after one event where she was mobbed by people grabbing her and trying to get pictures Kay now employs a full time body guard as part of her team of staff.

鈥淚 have a bodyguard, an assistant, and a videographer who works part-time” she says of the people that help protect her and work with her. But she emphasises the employment of her body guard is a necessity for her safety.

“When I鈥檓 out, especially at night, I always have protection. People recognise me everywhere, and you never know what someone鈥檚 intentions are.鈥�

So what鈥檚 next for Kay Manuel? For her OnlyFans work, she has plenty to keep her busy.

“I’m going to spring break in Cancun and I’m filming over there” she reveals.聽

“I’ll Have a line out the door. Come in. Fuck. Sign the consent form and it’s seven days straight of non-stop fucking. I kid you not. I reckon I will probably do 20 hours of just getting in, get out, get in, get out. I want to make like 500 videos.”

While that sounds like an exhausting schedule she also has other projects in the pipeline, including a television pilot she has been working, but remains tight lipped on the details.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot happening behind the scenes. Let鈥檚 just say, I鈥檓 only getting started.鈥�

 

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