Transgender model detained at Dubai airport
A Canadian model was taken into custody at
Dubai airport – allegedly for being a transgender.
Gigi Gorgeous says she was detained for five hours on Tuesday, and described the incident as one of the scariest moments of her life.
“I was told you are transgender. You cannot come into the country,” she told TMZ.
The popular make-up artist, who has over 2.1-million followers on Instagram, gained international fame after documenting her transition on YouTube.
Gigi was born Gregory Allan Lazzarto, and officially changed her name to Gigi Loren two years ago.
She told the publication that her passport was also updated to include her female identification.
But when she landed in Dubai, where homosexuality is illegal, airport police were not convinced and allegedly claimed her passport photo was that of a man.
Watch: How to tell your friends you are transgender
Gigi took to Instagram on Wednesday to talk about the ordeal.
“How you can be denied entry somewhere just because of who you are is seriously disgusting and also very scary,” she said.
Gigi left the country on a positive note.
“This further proves the need for CHANGE. I am now on my way to somewhere much more accepting. Safe and sound and happy.”
While some of her followers said it was her one fault for not checking the United Arab Emirates rules before visiting, many sent Gigi well-wishes. Some even shared their own experiences.
“They arrested me because I was with a trans friend at Dubai mall, one guy looked at my friend and start following us… [it] was horrible,” one follower commented.