--- description: Canadian model Gigi Gorgeous was allegedly detained and held at the Dubai airport for five hours for being transgender. title: Model Allegedly Detained in Dubai for Being Transgender image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b045bb23d524b3e/6988a1f9428a9e232acd3dce/gettyimages-545702500.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [United Arab Emirates](/tag/united-arab-emirates/) ## United Arab Emirates Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Model Gigi Gorgeous Says She Was Detained at Dubai Airport for Being Transgender by [Casey Quackenbush](/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 4:22 AM CUTPublished: Aug 11, 2016 3:28 AM CUT  Gigi Gorgeous takes a portrait at Beautycon Festival Los Angeles on July 9, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. Gigi Gorgeous takes a portrait at Beautycon Festival Los Angeles on July 9, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.Smallz/Raskind/Getty Images by [Casey Quackenbush](/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 4:22 AM CUTPublished: Aug 11, 2016 3:28 AM CUT Canadian model Gigi Gorgeous said she [was detained](http://www.people.com/article/gigi-gorgeous-detained-dubai-airport-transgender "undefined") at Dubai airport for five hours Tuesday because she is transgender. In an [Instagram post](https://www.instagram.com/p/BI6i9kIhBTI/?taken-by=gigigorgeous "undefined"), she said the experience was “one of the scariest moments of my entire life and I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone,” _People_ reports. The 24-year-old model and makeup artist, who became famous by [documenting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srOsrIC9Gj8 "undefined") her transition on YouTube, told TMZ that an immigration official had stopped her and said, “I was told you are transgender. You cannot come into the country.” Homosexuality is[ illegal](http://www.refugeelegalaidinformation.org/united-arab-emirates-lgbti-resources "undefined") in the United Arab Emirates, and Dubai has been [known](http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2014/01/brazil-transgender-women-accosted-detained-in-dubai-for-imitating-women/ "undefined") to punish the “imitation of women by men.” “How you can be denied entry somewhere just because of who you are is seriously disgusting and also very scary,” Gorgeous wrote in her post. “This further proves the need for CHANGE.” After the ordeal, the model said she was safely on her way to “to somewhere much more accepting.” \[[_People_](http://www.people.com/article/gigi-gorgeous-detained-dubai-airport-transgender "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4447749/transgender-gigi-gorgeous-dubai-detained/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4447749/transgender-gigi-gorgeous-dubai-detained/"},"headline":"Model Gigi Gorgeous Says She Was Detained at Dubai Airport for Being Transgender","datePublished":"2016-08-11T03:28:05.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T04:22:04.000Z","description":"\"This further proves the need for CHANGE,\" she wrote","url":"https://time.com/4447749/transgender-gigi-gorgeous-dubai-detained/","keywords":["United Arab Emirates","Transgender","LGBTQ"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b045bb23d524b3e/6988a1f9428a9e232acd3dce/gettyimages-545702500.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Casey Quackenbush","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b045bb23d524b3e/6988a1f9428a9e232acd3dce/gettyimages-545702500.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2016 Beautycon Portraits, July 9, 2016","caption":"2016 Beautycon Portraits, July 9, 2016","creditText":"Smallz/Raskind/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/united-arab-emirates/","name":"United Arab Emirates"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4447749/transgender-gigi-gorgeous-dubai-detained/","name":"Model Gigi Gorgeous Says She Was Detained at Dubai Airport for Being Transgender"}}]}] ```