Jamie Raines
Jamie Anthony Raines (born 19 February 1994) is an English YouTuber, research psychologist and LGBT advocate. His videos include commentary on gender identity and other LGBTQ+ issues as well as general lifestyle topics. Raines is a trans man and has documented his gender transition, including the effects of hormone replacement therapy and gender confirmation surgery. His channel, Jammidodger, has over 930,000 subscribers. Early and personal life. Raines is from Colchester in Essex. He attended St Mary's School in Colchester. He has chosen not to share his birth name or deadname, because he has mentioned that he remains  uncomfortable with sharing it. Raines recalls feeling like a boy from age four. At age 16, he realized he was transgender after watching a documentary involving a trans man and relating to their shared experiences. He describes his family and close friends as being immediately supportive and choosing the name Jamie with their help. In order to document the physical changes he underwent during his transition, Raines took a photograph of himself each day for three years. Raines is engaged to fellow YouTuber Shaaba Lotun. Both are bisexual. The two met in a college art class and had become close  friends prior to Raines' transition. When Raines came out, Lotun's family were initially very disapproving of their relationship but are now far more accepting. Each makes semi-regular appearances on the other's YouTube channel. Raines received his Gender Recognition Certificate late in 2019, which allows him to be recognised as a man in marriage. He describes this as marking the end of his transition process. The couple had planned to marry in 2020 but chose to delay the wedding as COVID-19 travel restrictions would have prevented members of Lotun's Mauritian extended family from attending. Career. YouTube. Raines  started the YouTube channel "Jammidodger" in 2011. The title is a reference to his name and to Jammie Dodgers, a popular type of biscuit in the UK. Having found YouTube videos to be a useful resource when discovering his own gender identity, he started the channel to provide a UK perspective on the transition process as well as to document the process for himself. Over time the channel has evolved to cover broader LGBT+ issues and also more general lifestyle content such as reacting to internet memes and subreddits, and reviewing cat toys. Raines was prominent among the many YouTubers  to make videos criticising the views about trans people expressed by J. K. Rowling. In 2020, both Raines and Lotun made videos as part of Southend Council's "Protect Your Fam" project to encourage social distancing, hand-washing and mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to frequently appearing in videos with his fiancée, Shaaba Lotun, Raines has made videos collaborating with other YouTubers such as Jessica Kellgren-Fozard and Noah Finnce. Research. Raines has a master's degree and a PhD, in Psychology from the University of Essex. He was awarded his doctorate in 2021. He has conducted  research into the sexual response of transgender men as well as other topics related to gender and sexuality. Reception. Raines series of daily selfies, which he took during three years of his gender transition, were compiled into a 20-second montage for the Channel 4 television documentary "Girls To Men" Raines was featured in the Channel 4 documentary series "Bride and Prejudice" covering the tensions within Lotun's family in the run up to their engagement. Awards. Raines was a finalist in the LGBTQ+ Account section at the 12th Shorty Awards.