Shubnam was packing boxes for a move into a new home when their friend sent them an Instagram video. The footage had only been up for a few hours, but it was days old, recorded at a Delhi protest this spring against a bill that would have narrowed the legal recognition for transgender people in India. 

There, a content creator known for rage-bait videos had approached Shubnam, a 38-year-old transfeminine graphic designer and educator. Shubnam, who uses a single chosen name, was dressed in a green sari with a shaved head, and the creator asked why they were wearing “female clothing.” Shubnam told him to back off. Only when the video arrived did they realize he had recorded the exchange on Meta smart glasses, styled to look like ordinary Wayfarers. 

Edited into a mocking reel, the footage drew millions of views, along with transphobic abuse, reaction videos, and AI-generated memes. It spread from Instagram to X and YouTube. Copies remain online today. 

For Shubnam, the video has caused huge harm. “All it took was one unconsented video to rewind two decades of progress that I made all on my own,” they told MIT Technology Review. “For a moment, it felt like this entire adult life I had lived was just a long lucid dream, and I was going to wake up as that clueless queer child again.” They haven’t worn a sari outside their neighborhood since.

Experts warn that many others will experience similar ordeals as smart glasses go mainstream.

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