Mercury Stardust, The Trans Handy Ma’am (Photo via MercuryStardust.com)

Have you met the trans handyperson Mercury Stardust making a splash on socials?

RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com

When you need a handyperson, who you gonna call? Well, she may not be close by, but Mercury Stardust is willing to help by way of her socials. Stardust is the Trans Handy Ma’am of TikTok, Instagram and Patreon fame, as well as an author, speaker, educator and advocate.

Via her socials and website, Stardust offers lessons to her followers about home maintenance, DIY projects and even tool recommendations, all knowledge gleaned from her 17 years of doing the work. Among her topics have been drywall repair, replacing an outlet and fixing garbage disposals. Alongside her expertise, Stardust also drops knowledge on her life story and her trans advocacy.

Stardust grew up in rural Wisconsin where she embraced her authentic self by way of burlesque. As she found her own truth, she hopes her story connects with queer youth.

Along with her own story resonating with the community across social media, Stardust also hosts her annual TikTok-a-Thon for Trans Healthcare for Point of Pride. Earlier this month, Stardust posted that her efforts were able to raise $2 million for the organization and vowed to do the ’thon every March 31 on Trans Day of Visibility.

She also wrote the book Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair. In it, she empowers her readers to tackle projects that won’t piss off the landlord, offering up more than 50 simple tips on various projects. The book covers basic knowledge on plumbing, electrical work and carpentry that could be of use for any type of homeowner. As a bonus, the book also gives illustrations and QR codes for video instruction.

On YouTube, Stardust answers questions on the podcast Maintenance is a Drag which also features a guest queen in every episode.
In short, Stardust is a force to be reckoned with. But for this Home and Garden Issue, we grabbed some of her tips from Instagram that now we just can’t live without.

Her entire feed does not rest on home repair. She talks a lot about her advocacy, transphobia, remixes of other home repair videos and more. But we’re here for tips, and her instructions are easy-to-follow with a friendly and funny demeanor. And she knows we can do it, and if we can’t, she offers her words of encouragement.

“And remember, you are worth the time it takes to learn a new skill,” she says.

Mercury! Thanks!

• How to hang a mirror on a wall, Nov. 2022

This always seems like it should be an easy task. But Stardust has tips on how to get it right every time.

“This will work on plaster and lathe and drywall. This also works on pictures, but for shelves and TVs, I recommend always finding at least one stud.”

• Cabinet repair, March 2024
Stardust talks about those pesky cabinet doors that are hanging on for dear life. Instead of installing a whole new door, she shows you how to fix the existing door with a repair plate.

• Preparing for a road trip, June 2022
You may just fill up the tank and check the tires, but Stardust gives a quick checklist of what to look for under the hood before hitting the road. No worries about lifting it up only to stand there looking confused. Stardust does it all in a fabulous red dress as well.

• Loose doorknobs, Oct. 2023
With just two items, Stardust shows how easy it is to fix those wobbly door knobs. More importantly, she stresses that if something doesn’t work right, we don’t have to just put up with it.

• Low water pressure, Aug. 2022
What’s more annoying than the sink not pushing out enough water? DIY plumbing is scary. But Stardust tells us what makes that happen and the simple solution to getting a healthy stream in no time.

• Other questions?
She’ll even offer help with your questions via her site. Just call or text her Handy Ma’am Hotline at 608-205-8768 with your maintenance questions.

Learn all about the Trans Handy Ma’am at Linktr.ee/MercuryStardust.