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Canadian Model Gigi Gorgeous Says She Was Detained At Dubai Airport For Being Transgender

The Canadian model was held in the airport for five hours.

Gigi Gorgeous has called for change after experiencing "one of the scariest moments of [her] entire life."

On Wednesday, the Canadian model and actress posted an emotional Instagram photo and shared her scary experience of being detained at Dubai Airport because she is transgender.

The 24-year-old, who documented her transition on YouTube, was reportedly held at the immigration and visa office for five hours. According to TMZ, who spoke to Gigi, it was there the Montreal-born vlogger was told "You are transgender. You cannot come into the country."

In Dubai, which is part of the Muslim majority nation of the United Arab Emirates, the "imitation of women by men" is illegal and can lead to a year in prison, according to Time.

Born Gregory Lazzarato, Gorgeous changed her name to Gigi Loren in 2014. Airport authorities claimed the star's passport described her as a male and the photo also showed her as a male. However, Gigi is denying this saying she has updated her passport since her transition. In 2014, two Brazilian transgender women were detained at the Dubai Airport and had their passports confiscated.

"How you can be denied entry somewhere just because of who you are is seriously disgusting and also very scary," the television personality wrote on Instagram. "This further proves the need for CHANGE."

Fans flooded Twitter with supportive messages for the transgender beauty:

After the ordeal, Gigi was met by Nats Getty and notified her fans that she was "now on [her] way to somewhere much more accepting."

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A photo posted by GIGI GORGEOUS 👸🏼 (@gigigorgeous) on

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