A transgender Singaporean and her friend who are facing one year in prison in the United Arab Emirates for dressing in a feminine manner had their sentences reduced to a fine and deportation, an official said on Monday.
Nur Qistina Fitriah Ibrahim, a transgender woman who has not undergone a sex-change operation, and her friend, freelance fashion photographer Muhammad Fadli Bin Abdul Rahman, will pay a fine of 10,000 dirhams – about US$2,270 – and be immediately deported, the official said.
United Arab Emirates are known for their homophobia and now transphobia. Still living in the dark ages.
