Non-binary trans Indian model Nin Kala was forced to remove their shirt by Omani Immigration at Muscat International airport for a physical examination. The model was also asked inappropriate questions like why their skin is so soft? Nin had a valid tourist visa, despite that they were denied entry and had to face transphobia. Nin shared their ordeal on social media.
"24th February, Friday, around 11 pm at night, when I landed at Muscat airport along with my friends on tourist visa for 10 days, while my friends cleared the immigration, I was asked by the officer to wait, because they were little suspicious and they wanted to examine me. So this officer, calls his another colleague and takes me to this isolated room, where it was just me and them. And he asked me to remove my shirt because they wanted to examine. After examining, they called another senior officer, the senior officer comes and again he tells me to remove my shirt. After removing my shirt, he comes and pinches on my belly and says why my body is so smooth and hairless. I really had no answer for this and all could say was this is how I was born and this is how I am. They said that I am not allowed to enter in their country because I don't really look what is mentioned in the passport. They took me back to the immigration department and told me to wait. While all of this process was happening, all they did was laughing and giggling at me as if their was some entertainment going on. The entire immigration people were seeing me as if I was a criminal and no body was ready to help me out, accept very few people. They were also two women who came asking what was happening. I tried telling them this is the scenario and they tried talking to the senior officer, but the officer denied and he said that there is no way I can go inside the country. They told me to book my own ticket and leave the country as soon as possible and they also took my passport. I had to figure out my ticked, take my passport back and leave the country. This was really bad experience, It was humiliating for me to be in this kind of situation because nobody was even ready to understand what I was trying to explain them. They were completely transphobic and homophobic. For them people like me doesn't exist," they said.
Support poured in from all corner for Nin on social media, people applauded her for their courage and felt sorry for the peril they had to go through.
