US influencer asks Mumbai transwoman if Indians 'shi* on the streets'. Her response is viral

Screengrab from the video that has collected more than a million views. (Image credit: @chaotichermes/X)

A Miami-based content creator has been slammed for asking a transwoman from Mumbai studying in the US if people openly defecate on the streets in India. A video of the interaction is now viral.  The creator, Hermes, thought he would cash in on the transwoman "rage quitting" but social media users not only slammed his line of questioning but also praised how the unnamed transwoman handled them before eventually deciding not to be a part of the "stupid video".

"Transgender Indian RAGE QUITS after I ask him if Indians shit on the street," he captioned the clip on X.

Transgender Indian RAGE QUITS after I ask him if Indians shit on the street: pic.twitter.com/1EaNMunEo5

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— Hermes (@chaotichermes) September 6, 2025

In it, after he approaches the transwoman, she reveals that she is from Mumbai and is studying in the US. When asked if living in the US is better than living in India, she replied, "Depends on where you're living. I mean, the US can also be really bad, but New York is really good. It's really good living here, but I don't know about the other places in the States."

When asked where in India living conditions are better than in the US, she said, "I come from Mumbai, which is very similar to New York City, so I didn't have that much of a difference."

"Is it true that people shi* on the streets there?" Hermes asked.

"No," the transwoman replied. After being further questioned on it, she added, "I mean, you also see people here shi**ing on the streets. Homeless people. I've seen a lot of people shi**ing on the subways."

"Maybe occasionally," replied Hermes, "But it happens everywhere in India."

"That's not the case," the transwoman said, adding, "Okay, just delete this (video). I'm not gonna be a part of this stupid video."

The clip garnered more than a million views on X.

I’ve seen countless people in New York City and other places shit on sidewalks and the street. Lol!" commented Trav (@T_Rizzeal). "You attempted to be edgy, but it didn’t work here," added X user Adam (@adamhuver). Another X user (@frtzer) said, "She seems reasonable and nice, while you seem like an old school racist loon."

1/5 of Indians still defecate in the open

India was officially declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) on October 2, 2019, marking the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi — a milestone envisioned when the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) was launched in 2014. But despite the declaration, open defecation has not entirely disappeared.

The government continued to expand the mission, especially in rural areas, and launched a second phase focused on urban sanitation. Over 12 crore Individual Household Toilets (IHHTs) have been constructed under SBM, with 11.5 crore built in villages. Given that India has around 32 crore households, this means nearly 37.5 percent of homes now have toilets because of the scheme — a significant achievement in terms of implementation.

Yet, data from the National Family Health Survey (2019–21) paints a more complex picture. It found that 19% of India’s population still lacks access to a toilet, indicating that at least one in five people continue to relieve themselves in the open.