Model detained at Dubai airport for ‘being trans’
Model and Youtube star Gigi Gorgeous claims she was detained in Dubai airport for several hours, simply because she is trans.
The Canadian star – who documented her transition on YouTube – has described the ordeal as “one of the scariest moments of my entire life.”
“After being detained and held at the Dubai airport for over 5 hours, this was the moment my baby came to rescue me,” Gorgeous wrote on Instagram, showing a picture of herself being reunited with her friend.
“Yesterday was one of the scariest moments of my entire life and I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone,” she continued.
“How you can be denied entry somewhere just because of who you are is seriously disgusting and also very scary.
“This further proves the need for CHANGE.”
Following the ordeal, the 24-year-old model assured her followers that she was now “safe and sound and happy” and on her way to “somewhere much more accepting.”
Gorgeous later told TMZ that the traumatic experience began after a Dubai immigration officer told her” “I was told you are transgender. You cannot come into the country.”
The “imitation of women by men” remains illegal in the United Arab Emirates, where trans people are not legally recognised.
Earlier this year, a British gay couple complained about rude treatment in an airport in Dubai – where local gay men risk the death penalty or life in prison.
The pair said they had been detained in the airport while staff “laughed about their sexuality’
Homosexuality is strictly illegal in the United Arab Emirates, with local gay men risking anything from a fine to life in prison or the death penalty.
A British man was jailed in Dubai in 2012 on gay sex charges.
