"That Moment of Curiosity": Augmented Reality Face Filters for Transgender Identity Exploration, Gender Affirmation, and Radical Possibility

Abstract

Transgender people often use face filters to try and see different possible futures: versions of what they might look like during or post transition, or how they might appear in an ideal future or alternate world. However, there are effectively no face filters made for trans people to feel good using. As a result, people often end up feeling bad or dysphoric instead of supported in their pursuit to envision the future. We asked 44 trans people about augmented reality and face filters, and to speculate on future technologies that would support their wellbeing and desires for transition. We found that trans-affirming face filters would be designed to support data privacy, agency, intersectionality, and consideration for expansive identity categories. Meeting these design goals would enable trans people to explore many different radically possible futures, facili- tating expansive, transformative, self-perceptions that honor the multiplicity inherent in trans identity.