About

Dolphin Ayan Held At Gunpoint Viral Video refers to a graphic viral video reportedly showing Pakistani transgender influencer Dolphin Ayan being held at gunpoint and then forced to strip and dance. It leaked online in late October 2024, garnering virality and reactions from users. News of the incident spread on social media sites like Twitter / X and TikTok during the same timeframe, where Ayan notably holds her largest following. The transphobic hate crime was akin to the country's so-called "Beela violence" and sparked outrage in Ayan's city of Peshawar, as well as online as many users spread the slogan "Justice for Dolphin Ayan" and the hashtag "#JusticeForDolphinAyan." Soon after, Ayan responded to the video in an Instagram Reel in which she condemned her attacker.

Origin

On October 29th, 2024, X^[1] user @mehrubawan posted a tweet, claiming, "A video of Dolphin Ayan, the most successful trans dancer from Peshawar, is doing the rounds where she is being stripped naked on camera and threatened with a gun, and being forced to dance." @mehrubawan referenced the term "Beela violence" which is a term in Pakistan for men who are attracted to trans women but express their desires by physically attacking trans women.^[2][3]

@mehrubawan further wrote, "When does this end? What else is expected from a community literally on the receiving end of genocidal murders in Pakhtunkhwa to do?" The tweet received over 141,100 views and 800 likes in two days (shown below).

It is currently unknown where the original video was taken or shared but @mehrubawan's tweet is currently the first known post concerning the incident.

Spread

On October 30th, 2024, numerous posts about the Dolphin Ayan viral video surfaced online. For instance, on October 30th, TikToker^[4] @mudassir1565 shared a Patrick Bateman edit that called for "Justice for Dolphin Ayan," amassing over 525,000 plays and 30,500 likes in a day (shown below).

Dolphin Ayan's Response

On October 30th, 2024, Dolphin Ayan posted two Reels to Instagram,^[5][6] receiving over 1,000 likes and 560 likes, respectively, in one day. The first Reel was trimmed short and the second was the full-length. In it, Ayan responded to the viral video and condemned her attackers. She said she spoke with police about the incident, called for justice and became emotional at the video's end by tearing up (shown below).

Online Reactions

Users across social media reacted to Dolphin Ayan's response video in late October 2024. For instance, on October 30th, 2024, TikToker^[7] @ahashmi99 reposted part of Ayan's response video, expressing solidarity with her. The TikTok gained over 217,400 plays and 12,100 likes in a day (shown below).

Ayan's response video was also reposted to X^[8] where user @Azalafridi10 called it "heartbreaking."

Search Interest

External References