Chris Crocker has sold their ‘Leave Britney Alone’ video as a Non-Fungible Token (NFT). Following an online auction, it sold yesterday for $41,000. Crocker says some of the money may go towards helping them begin to transition.
An NFT is a piece of digital content that can be bought and sold using cryptocurrency. The NFT is a certificate stating who owns a photo, video, or another form of online media. The certificates are unique and cannot be duplicated.
Crocker created their ‘Leave Britney Alone’ video in 2007 and posted it to YouTube. It quickly clocked up over 4million views in two days and became one of the platform’s most talked-about videos.
Related: Chris Crocker looks back on that iconic ‘Leave Britney Alone!’ video 10 years later
A huge Britney Spears fan, Crocker created the video after Spears was criticized for a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. Crocker became tearful while begging people to leave the singer alone.
Crocker’s warnings, although mocked at the time, turned out to be prescient, with the recent Framing Britney Spears documentary showing how the media have impacted Spears’ life and career.
The viral video turned Tennessee-based Crocker into a minor internet celebrity. They went on to release music of their own and also appeared in adult entertainment movies.
NFT’s have hit the headlines in recent months as a growing boom in the art market. The first many people heard of them was when the digital artist Beeple broke records by selling his art piece, “Everydays: The First 5000 Days”, for $69.3million via auction last month.
This was followed by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey selling his first-ever Tweet for $2.9million. The 2006 tweet (“just setting up my twttr”), which remains online, sold to a Malaysian businessman following an auction.
Since then, others have begun to explore whether their online creations might have some value if sold as NFTs.
Crocker auctioned their Britney video via the Foundation app. It was sold using the cryptocurrency Ether. On the auction site, Crocker said: “I made this video as a gender-bending teenage high school dropout in my grandparent’s bedroom. I had no idea the impact its message would have, years later, maybe society is finally starting to get it :-)”
The video sold yesterday for 18.69 Ether, equivalent to $41,280.
Related: Are Chris Crocker And Aaron Carter A Couple? These Photos Made Some People Think So.
Yesterday, while the auction was still taking place, Crocker tweeted about how they would use the money raised.
“My hope with this NFT bid ending tonight is to be able to help take care of my family & if I have enough funds, begin my transition.”
My hope with this NFT bid ending tonight is to be able to help take care of my family & if I have enough funds, begin my transition.
— Chris Crocker (@ChrisCrocker) April 12, 2021
Crocker has previously spoken about being gender non-conforming and transgender. They have been considering transitioning for several years.
Crocker has experimented with presenting as traditionally masculine and feminine, and previously indicated they were on a journey to feel truly comfortable with their gender expression.
In an Instagram posting a couple of weeks ago, responding to a comment querying if they had transitioned, Crocker said, “I never said I was transitioning yet, I shared how I feel on the inside.
“Many factors such as my surroundings, what I do for work (adult entertainment) & other things, are not ideal for me to transition UNTIL some situations change … I am however now in therapy and if I have to play the part of a male aesthetically until all my ducks are in a row.. I can do that.”
After the auction, Crocker posted a message to their Instagram stories saying they were “So thankful and grateful” for the amount raised.
Heywood Jablowme
Was the buyer Matt Gaetz?
WillParkinson
Chris Crocker and his then boyfriend appeared on the cover of a book I cowrote. 🙂
Mr. Stadnick
Are you proud of that?
thisisnotreal
Dude as a gay man I can’t even begin to tell you how problematic your comment is. People like you are the reason being more fem is still seen as undesirable or unattractive, and it’s people like you who still hold the tired old idea of masculine men being the ideal that the rest of us should live up to. We all have varying degrees of masculine and feminine traits or behaviors in us so there is no such thing as this imaginary sliding scale of masculinity that you have presented. Please kindly take your toxic masculinity and inner homophobia and sashay away.
jayceecook
@James26 Well you might as well just have your d!ck removed because you’re clearly not using it being the world’s biggest a$$hole.
Chrisk
That video was them laughing at you being a silly fa*got. I guess if he can cash out on it more power to him or them or her or whatever.
Sister Bertha Bedderthanyu
Chris I’m surprised your comment was allowed to remain. Not only is that the same way I saw it but what I’m wondering is who in their right mind saw value in this. Its almost as if no one asked to see a receipt of this transaction. Without seeing the receipt I doubt if its true. It has been on youtube for years and thats why I question its purchase and the price allegedly paid for it.
ScottOnEarth
Chris, you seem to be the embodiment of hatred and toxicity. I wish Queerty would remove your pointless, childish, inane comment because we see enough of that stupidity in the real world. Now, please crawl back into your shell.
Cam
Aww, the desperate right wing troll unleashes all of it’s bigotry. Thanks for reminding us that nothing but garbage comes from your screenames.
Mister P
James should learn more about transgenderism and know that every thought that pops into his head is not correct.
James26
@thisisnotreal “People like you are the reason being more fem is still seen as undesirable or unattractive . . .”
Well, thank you! That’s very kind of you to say. We all should do our part. However, I can’t really take personal credit for helping to stigmatize male effeminacy. The vast majority of males already viewed it as undesirable and unattractive. Many, many studies over many decades have shown male effeminacy to be widely reviled. Research beginning no later than 1977 and continuing to the present, which focuses on attitudes among gay men towards effeminacy, shows similar results.
We all recognize the problem, but we have yet to find an effective solution. Encouraging the most severe cases to “transition” and accepting the legal fiction that they are women may be part of that solution.
QJ201
41K would cover SRS and facial surgery in Thailand easily. The US, well one or the other.
Chris is already working in porn and can continue to do so pre and post transition.
James26
@QK201 Why would anyone want to watch gay porn with a porn actor who says he isn’t really male but actually a transwoman who looks like a male? Obviously, there is a market for trans porn, but those videos have actors who actually look trans – hormones, boobs, makeup, etc. Where is the consumer demand for a gay porn actor who looks male but says he is a woman?
Heywood Jablowme
It would be interesting to meet James26 in real life and see how “butch” or “fem” he is.
Heywood Jablowme
“They” is correct as long as you remember to use the first person singular:
They HAS been considering transitioning for several years.
Crocker has experimented with presenting as traditionally masculine and feminine, and previously indicated they WAS on a journey to feel truly comfortable with their gender expression.
Cam
James 26 and thisisnotreal or both the same person. As always the troll is so desperate that it comes in under multiple screenames to post supportive comments to back up it’s posts.
Cam
Let’s explore why it enrages you to call somebody what they want to be called?
Also, you do realize that Crocker doesn’t live in Ohio and Queerty isn’t a teacher in a school, so that case is completely irrelevant to this story.
But thanks for playing!
Cam
Why did you post this twice?
Cam
Why did you post this three times?
Heywood Jablowme
@Cam: Your crystal ball and tarot cards are out of whack today. The post by “thisisnotreal” is not at all supportive of James26.
James26
@Heywoodjablowme I could be the most masculine man in the world or the most effeminate or somewhere in between, and it would not make the points above any more or less valid. Focus on the merits of the argument, not on the person making the argument. I learned this when I was about 6 or 7 years old. Why haven’t you?
Fahd
This “NFT” might wind up at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
Cam
@Heywood Jablowme Ugh ,I thought it was TheREALtruth, my bad.
Cam
Translation: Apparently you can’t write a comment without using bigoted or other language that is auto-screened.
Kangol2
I can’t remember the screen name @James26 used to use on here but that earlier poster was always extremely anti-fem/me and pro-toxic masculinity. @Cam, I do think @thisisnotreal is criticizing @James26’s narrow, effemophobic comments, though. They appear to be two different posters.
Kangol2
But the first comment posts eventually, so you don’t have to post three times. We all see the first one posting, whether it appears to be in moderation or not.
Kangol2
Josh, your comment about “they” as a singular pronoun being “unprovable nonsense” is incorrect. From the Oxford Dictionaries (one of the most authoritative sources on the English language):
Usage
The word they (with its counterparts them, their, and themselves) as a singular pronoun to refer to a person of unspecified gender has been used since at least the 14th century. In the late 20th century, as the traditional use of he to refer to a person of either sex came under scrutiny on the grounds of sexism, this use of they has become more common. It is now generally accepted in contexts where it follows an indefinite pronoun such as anyone, no one, someone, or a person: anyone can join if they are a resident; each to their own. In other contexts, coming after singular nouns, the use of they is now common, although less widely accepted, especially in formal contexts. Sentences such as ask a friend if they could help are still criticized for being ungrammatical. Nevertheless, in view of the growing acceptance of they and its obvious practical advantages, they is used in this dictionary in many cases where he would have been used formerly.
Also, part of the entry from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (another authoritative source, for American English):
Usage Note: The use of the plural pronouns they, them, themselves, or their with a grammatically singular antecedent dates back at least to 1300, and such constructions have been used by many admired writers, including William Makepeace Thackeray (“A person can’t help their birth”), George Bernard Shaw (“To do a person in means to kill them”), and Anne Morrow Lindbergh (“When you love someone you do not love them all the time”). Despite the apparent grammatical disagreement between a singular antecedent like someone and the plural pronoun them, the construction is so widespread both in print and in speech that it often passes unnoticed. There are several reasons for its appeal. Forms of they are useful as gender-neutral substitutes for generic he and for coordinate forms like his/her or his or her (which can sound clumsy when repeated and which do not take into account people whose gender identity is nonbinary). Nevertheless, the clash in number can be jarring to writers and readers, and many people dislike they with a singular antecedent. This includes much of the Usage Panel, though their resistance has declined over time. Resistance remains strongest when the sentence refers to a specific individual whose gender is unknown, rather than to a generic individual representative of anyone: in our 2015 survey, 58 percent of the Panel found We thank the anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments unacceptable. A sentence with a generic antecedent, A person at that level should not have to keep track of the hours they put in, was rejected by 48 percent (a substantial change from our 1996 survey, in which 80 percent rejected this same sentence).
Heywood Jablowme
@James26: Okay, how about this to start. You’re throwing around a lot of subjective terms. Butch and fem, and of course your term “hyper-effeminate,” are subjective terms. As is “normal.” Define “normal” gay and bi men.
Heywood Jablowme
@James26: Why isn’t it possible for a “normal” man (like you, for instance) to NOT “feel associated with them and their baggage”? I mean right now, already, before the hyper-effeminate men attempt to transition?
Vince
If it goes to moderation just delete it and repost it. As to why it goes to moderation for you I have no idea. Usually it’s over some derogatory word.
Res1
Yep, a lot of gay men transition because they’re too effeminate for the average gay man and find it easier to attract closeted or downlow men who tend to like effeminate men. The average gay male is seeking masculinity and effeminate gay men do not exude masculinity outside of being born male.
Res1
@james26 You have a point, but some men are naturally effeminate. It’s not something they play up. However, a lot of gay men today such as Lil Nas X play it up. Gay and effeminate are two different things. When did being gay equate to being effeminate/feminine¿ Isn’t it sexist to equate a man being with a another man as a feminine¿
Heywood Jablowme
@Josh447: I’ve encountered several trans people (usually at my job) where the gender is “unknown”… at least to me. I mean it’s apparent to me that they ARE trans, but it’s not apparent to me what gender they are aiming for (if any). In those situations, “they” seems quite ordinary.
In a meeting with such folks, our boss does the Introductory Pronouns thing. At first I found this extremely awkward. Now I’m more used to it, it’s still a bit strange but there’s hardly any other practical way to handle those situations. Although we had one crazy character who was a “she” one week, a “they” the next week, and a “he” the next week. Oh well, whaddaya gonna do. A lot of cisgender people are crazy too.
LumpyPillows
Chris Crocker is a never-ending traffic accident, but now that he says he’s transitioning he’s the toast of the looney left. Oddly I do remember a lot of you dumping on Chris Crocker as an attention seeker not too long ago. Nothing has changed with Chris. He’s gotten too chunky for his porn career as a man. My guess is he has top surgery and runs with it. I wish him well, but I won’t watch the on-going traffic accident. There are real trans people needing attention and help.
Cam
@LumpyPillows
Funny how he’s supposedly the toast of the “Looney Left” yet you seem to be the one following and obsessing over him, all the way to a recent weight gain that seems to have upset you.
Nobody hates trans people more than somebody going through some confusion themselves.
Mr. Stadnick
This whole Leave what’s her name a lone thing is truly stupid. What is it that makes gay men revere these women? I will never get it.
Josh447
Here-here!
Yooper
A pathetic meltdown worthy of nothing from 2007 and we are still reading about it? Please, deep six this trash.
ricdardc1
The porn video with his then (?), boyfriend or Fiance, who knows what in Fairy Land !….he did with The Maverickmen was Cute. But Miss Thing is a Hot Mess otherwise.
” Molly you in Danger Gurll !!! “