Gay Flight Attendant Deported From Qatar For Wearing Tinted Moisturiser
Gilbert Ignatius was a flight attendant who worked for the state-owned Qatar Airways and lived in Doha. On May 14, officers brought Ignatius into custody and began to interview him about his line of work. After accusations were made that he was a sex worker, Ignatius lost his job and was deported the next month.
The claims that Ignatius makes come on the heels of Qatar’s hosting the World Cup in 2022, where many football fans expressed outrage over the treatment of LGBTQIA+ people in that country.
“How much do you earn every night?”
Ignatius tells the story of his detainment and investigation to The i and recounts being questioned about his line of work. The 32-year-old cabin crew member was out celebrating with a group of friends when security at the hotel they were at escorted them to a room where members of Qatar’s Criminal Investigation Department where waiting. After wiping the faces of the group, they found tinted moisturiser on Ignatius and one other person’s face and took them to a police station.
“They brought us to the police station and the moment we entered… The first thing they asked me was, ‘How much do you earn every night? How much if you f*** him and how much if he f*** you? I know what you’re doing,’” claims Ignatius. The officers were accusing him of having gay sex, which is illegal in Qatar and furthermore accusing him of being paid for it.
Throughout the rest of his interrogation, Ignatius claims he asked to speak to the Indonesian embassy to which his requests were ignored and, at one point during his questioning, he says an officer slapped him. “He said: ‘You have no rights. This is Qatar.’”
Qatari officials made claims during the World Cup that the country would make moves towards bettering LGBTQIA+ rights. But since the conclusion of the games, many are reporting the situation has worsened. Ignatius’ case is one of many reported where undercover police target suspected LGBTQIA+ individuals.
For Ignatius, he has managed to secure new employment with JetStar Airways in Australia but his treatment at the hands of Qatari officials has left him feeling traumatised and displaced from the country he called home for the past seven years.
“It’s getting worse. Right after the World Cup, a similar incident that later happened to me has been happening a lot,” he says. “There were lots of undercover police doing this in shopping centres, restaurants, clubs and bars, targeting mostly people from emerging countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand. They’re wiping people’s faces, and those found using foundation or anything that is tinted, are taken into custody and deported.
“I need this story to be heard all over the world. LGBTQIA+ people need to know what trap is waiting for them there. I don’t want this to happen to other people.”
