A trans woman on a 9-month-long world cruise is gaining an army of fans who protect her from negative comments

• TikTok is full of videos posted by those currently aboard the Royal Caribbean Ultimate World Cruise.
• One passenger is Bobbi Waterman, a trans woman who set sail with her partner Tam.

A trans woman aboard the Royal Caribbean Ultimate World Cruise is quickly gaining an army of fans on TikTok who stand with her against any negativity that comes her way.

TikTok is full of videos posted by passengers on the 9-month-long cruise that set sail in December and is set to visit 65 countries overall.

Bobbi Waterman is becoming one of the viewers' favorite creators. She is a trans woman who retired after 34 years working for NASA, according to her profile, and set sail on the cruise with her partner Tam.

Their TikTok profile, Tam & Bobbi, has around 9,000 followers, but high view counts on their videos suggest they could be on the way to internet fame over the course of their trip.

In one TikTok posted on Wednesday, Waterman said they had arrived in Puerto Madryn, Argentina. She said Tam was currently collecting sea glass, and they had enjoyed their time there so far and bought some souvenirs.

As their account started to gain popularity, Waterman was subjected to some negative and hateful comments about her identity.

But supporters were quick to jump to her defense.

"I'm sorry some people are so rude to you," one comment reads. "I enjoy your content, thank you for sharing your experiences with us."

Many decided to flood the comment section with positivity.

"You look so pretty in the sunshine with your flower crown!" one person said. "What a beautiful day at the beach!"

Others said they were thrilled that they had found Waterman's account, and were excited to follow her and Tam's journey around the world.

"Thank you for being visible," one viewer said. "As a 20-something trans man who wants to travel the world, this brings me hope."

Waterman made it clear the negativity didn't affect her, though.

"Not worried about rude people," she said in response to one comment. "I don't care what they think, I am who I am."

She also posted a video addressing the comments and telling her supporters not to worry.

"Personally, I don't care," she said. "What you think of me does not affect me at all. It affects you, but not me. I am who I am, and I'm happy about it."

Waterman thanked everyone who sent positive messages and stood up for her. She also shared a "heart-warming" experience that day in an elevator on the ship.

"A young lady with two kids came in, and she said, 'I just want to say congratulations,' and I was shocked," she said.

"She said her kids had two moms," Waterman said. "I thought that was very heart-warming. Amongst all the negativity there's a lot of great people in the world. There's a lot of great people on this ship. And so I'm not worried."

Supporters praised Waterman in the comments, thanking her for living her life "authentically," and telling her to "ignore the haters."

"People who live their authentic selves are the strongest people," one follower commented. "People trying to hurt you with words are certainly failing."

TikTok is completely obsessed with the cruise, with passengers documenting their time aboard, showing off their cabins, and explaining some of the drama that has reportedly been afoot.

When a new world cruiser appears on their feed, people are more than happy to follow them to learn how their travels are going.

Waterman has cemented herself as one of the latest characters people will be keeping an eagle eye on.

"I'm following you now," one person wrote. "New character unlocked."