Content Warning: This article contains a video showcasing transphobic abuse that may be distressing to watch.
Last night, beauty influencer Nikita Dragun was trending on Twitter because of a viral video in which she was subject to intense transphobic abuse by fellow internet personality Taylor Caniff. Posting the video to her Instagram, Nikita shared her emotional reaction with followers stating that ‘this is how trans people die.’
Taylor Caniff, who rose to internet fame on Vine in 2013 but lost popularity due to numerous scandals, shared the video to his ‘Close Friends’ story on Instagram. In it, he is seen misgendering Nikita and telling security ‘Did you guys know that’s a dude?’. He goes on to say that the security guards were ‘stunned’ and replied ‘Our boy John needs to get a phone call right now.’
‘This is what it’s like to be trans,’ Nikita responded to the video. ‘My livelihood is constantly threatened just by living my life as a trans person. I’m so embarrassed to be showing this video but it’s reality, it’s what’s really f*cking happening in the world.
‘I try to be strong for you guys and hold my head up high, and act like I’m not terrified that something like this will happen to me,’ she continued. ‘This is how trans people die, it just takes that one ignorant transphobic comment to threaten my entire livelihood and more so than that I fear for the people that are with me.’
According to Galop’s annual report into transphobia, 80% of trans people have experienced a transphobic hate crime in the last year alone. One in four experienced physical or the threat of physical assault and 70% say their daily routine has been affected by transphobia – the same amount of people also felt police could not help them.
In August last year, the National Centre for Transgender Equality reported a surge in violence against trans people in the US. They stated that in seven months, the number of trans or gender nonconforming people suspected of being murdered in 2020 (28) had surpassed the entire total for all of 2019 (26).
‘This time it was me, next time it could be somebody else, somebody not as lucky,’ Nikita said in her video. ‘We must stop trans hate because it leads to trans violence and people lose their lives or even worse they take their own lives because experiencing things like this just breaks my heart and my entire world.’
In Britain, almost half of trans people have attempted suicide at least once, with 84% stating they have thought about it, according to the 2012 Trans Mental Health Survey. A more recent survey in the US also stated that 40% of trans and nonbinary youth had seriously considered attempting suicide.
Ultimately, what videos like this show is the bleak reality for trans people around the world. Taylor posted that video to a story of 140 viewers, many of whom will be fellow influencers, brazenly and openly spouting transphobia with no fear of being held accountable. Just hours after Nikita posted her response, he even went live on Instagram to thousands of viewers saying he’s been made aware ‘people murder themselves because of this’ but ‘you haven’t thought about the other side’ and claimed that Nikita ‘traumatises’ people by ‘hooking up with innocent males’.
As Nikita says, spouting these ignorant, unempathetic views publicly is what puts trans people in real danger. Nikita may be controversial herself (she’s been at the centre of numerous blackfishing and pandemic scandals in the last year) but she’s also incredibly successful, wealthy and has access to options that allow her to better represent her identity that many trans people could only dream of. For those people then, who don’t have access to the same privileges Nikita does, one can only imagine how isolated and unsupported they must feel dealing with this kind of abuse every day without any real efforts to protect them from those in power.
They are the people Nikita seems to be worried about, as per her video, and they are the ones seeing transphobic views shared and supported online knowing just how real the threat against their lives is because of them. It’s a haunting video to watch, but it’s one so many cisgender people need to to understand that no matter how much support a trans person has or how successful they seem, they will always deal with vile transphobic abuse that dangerous consequences for all.
If you've been affected by transphobia and need support, Mindline Trans+ is an emotional and mental health support helpline for anyone identifying as transgender, non-binary or genderfluid. You can call them on 0300 330 5468, or visit their website here.
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