Myles Sexton and Tyler Austin finally had the wedding they had been dreaming of.
The Ontario-based social media influencers and activists met at a Thanksgiving dinner gathering more than a decade ago. After several years of being interested in each other but not quite dating, they got together about four years ago, and Tyler popped the question in November 2022. Since then it’s been three years of online excitement for the couple.
“Everybody expected us to have this crazy grand wedding when in reality, both of our close friends circles and families are very small, so it was going to be more intimate, more like a family party,” says Tyler, who is founder of the Gentlemen’s Self-Made Club, which he created to help trans men connect, have adventures and support one another.
Meanwhile, Myles is a creative director, stylist, makeup artist and activist, raising awareness around HIV/AIDS and sobriety; they’ve got more than 207,000 followers on TikTok. Myles made a splash at the recent PTP Pink Awards, hosted by Pink Ticket Travel’s parent, Pink Triangle Press.
Pink Ticket Travel chatted with the couple about their relationship and their travels just before they tied the knot at their September wedding.
Myles, you grew up in Nova Scotia but broke into the fashion industry in Toronto. How did that happen?
Myles: When I was still in high school, and had survived my suicide attempt, I was trying to find a connection to the community because I didn’t know any other queer people in my little town. I bought this point-and-shoot camera and started taking portraits of myself and posting them online. I started to get quite a bit of traction. I was super obsessed with America’s Next Top Model and The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, but I never saw someone like me, sort of gender bending and breaking societal norms when it came to gender. I sent my pictures to a local modelling agency and she ended up signing me. I started getting invited to fashion shows and to represent brands. I moved to Toronto on my 19th birthday.
Tyler, you seem like a much more private person.
Tyler: Before Miles and I started dating, I had a fairly large Instagram following. After one bad breakup, I was like, I’m done. I kind of dialled it back. Then Miles and I got together. At first I was not necessarily against it, but we had conversations about keeping some things private. It’s kind of grown through our relationship. It’s funny. I think I’ve become the favourite sidekick in our relationship. I always say that I’m the funny one.
What was your first big trip together?
Tyler: We did Peru for 21 days with G Adventures in 2022. Usually when you’re travelling with somebody for the first time, it’s a make-or-break situation. You learn a lot about each other pretty quickly. We were hiking the Inca Trail for four days to Machu Picchu, you know, sharing a tent.
Myles: Tyler really wanted to do that trip. To be honest, I didn’t know much about Peru going into it.
Tyler: Yeah, it was a bucket-list trip for me. It was actually Myles’s birthday gift that year. They’re reducing the number of travellers on the Inca Trail each year, due to erosion and stuff, and I thought it was time to do it.
Did you add your own twist to the Peru trip, in terms of personal style?
Tyler: Let’s put it this way. I can travel with a duffel bag, where Myles needs a full-on, I don’t know, 80-litre suitcase with wheels. In Peru, Myles had a large-sized bag plus a rolly bag and a backpack. They definitely brought their fair share of outfits.
Myles: I definitely didn’t hide my identity when traveling in Peru. I had a lot of big and bold outfits to wear while we were having our adventures. They weren’t the warmest, though—I didn’t realize how cold Peru could be.
What’s one thing you learned about each other on that trip?
Tyler: I knew that Myles had a big fashion sense and would need to bring it. But I thought for 21 days, travelling in some pretty remote areas, they’d scale back. I realized that’s never going to happen. Myles will never compromise their fashion, no matter what kind of trip we’re taking.
Myles: It was the first time I’d ever done a big trip like that in a country where I don’t speak the language. I felt so safe with Tyler, and I didn’t realize how safe he made me feel until we were in this scenario. Because I was with him, I knew it was okay to be my most fabulous self. It made me fall in love with him more.
What was your take-away memory from that trip?
Tyler: We had a sandboarding experience on these dunes in the Nazca Valley, near the Nazca Lines. I had never been in any sort of desert before and the sun was setting. I was so happy we could share that moment together.
Myles: On our last day hiking the Inca Trail, we woke up at 2 a.m. to enter the national park. It was pouring rain the entire time. We were soaked by the time we got to the Sun Gate, where you’re supposed to have this great view of Machu Picchu. It was a grey, cloudy day and we were a bit disappointed. Our guide made the best call. Everybody else was leaving, and he was like, “Just stay here for a bit.” The rain clouds disappeared and all those clouds moved away and we saw Machu Picchu for the first time. It was magical.
As a couple with very unique presentation and personal styles, do you turn heads very much?
Tyler: Myles definitely gets noticed more than I do. I blend in with my outfits. I get more looks because I’m fully tattooed from head to toe. But it depends where we’re travelling. In South America, Myles got a lot of Jesus references. Everybody stopped us and wanted to take pictures. If we’re travelling in the United States, like in New Orleans, everybody loves Myles fashion-wise.
Myles: To be honest, we haven’t really had any negative experiences. We do our research when we’re choosing where to go. There have been quite a few trips where I’ve had lineups of people wanting to take photos with me, which is pretty fun.
You do have the look of a celebrity, so maybe that trumps everything else.
Myles: In India, everyone thought I was a celebrity. I was recently in Cappadocia, in Türkiye. I was walking down the street and this person literally ran out of their store with this vase that had the image of Jesus on it, and he was chasing me down the street, saying, “I painted this of you. I want to take a picture of it with you.” That was pretty hilarious. In North America, I feel like I come off as very visibly queer. But in other countries, it’s just not thought of that way.
There must be times when you’re nervous.
Myles: It’s when we’re dealing with airports or things like that. In countries that aren’t super developed, it can be a bit overwhelming, because they rely so heavily on tourism. So you get swarmed by people wanting you to take their taxi or stuff like that.
Tyler: The only time I’ve felt unsafe recently is when we went to Disney World in Orlando last February, just after Trump took control. Just being a trans individual crossing the border, I was wary of something coming up, maybe a body scan or some other problem, with all that anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ2S+ stuff happening in the United States.
Do you have methods to reduce your stress in airports or when crossing borders?
Tyler: Because I haven’t had certain surgeries, I don’t pack or enhance anything, so it doesn’t set anything off. Myles always looks great travelling, but I feel their fashion isn’t as forward when they’re going through security, just to stay under the radar.
Myles: As someone who identifies as nonbinary, I do have the privilege in Canada of having an X on my passport and IDs. But it’s something I’ve chosen not to change because I travel so much and there are so many countries that don’t recognize it or just don’t understand what X means. I also look up the rules around being HIV-positive, whether you can even bring medication into some countries. I’m now on an injectable HIV medication, which makes it much easier because I don’t have to travel with my meds.
You’ve already mentioned that Myles likes to pack a lot of outfits. What are some of your strategies for packing?
Myles: Because I bring a lot, I have to be strategic. Rimowa has these trunks that are deeper on the bottom part, so I can lay all my shoes on the bottom, then I get these packing squares and I roll up everything really tight in the packing squares.
You must bring a steamer?
Myles: Of course, I bring a steamer. Wrinkles are the ugliest accessory. So many of my steamers have caught on fire in other countries because even with electricity converters, it is too much power or whatever. .
Aside from a steamer, what is a must-pack item?
Tyler: For me, earplugs.
Myles: I love a good wrinkle-free matching set.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
