‘I AM TERRIFIED’

Transgender Qatari Princess Fled to U.K. to Avoid Persecution: Documents

Being gay in the 2022 World Cup host is punishable by law and death, with possible sentences including up to three years in prison for the crime.

A Qatari princess fled the nation and sought asylum in the U.K. in 2015, fearing for her life and safety over her gender identity. According to leaked documents obtained by the Sunday Times of London, a member of the emirate’s ruling Al Thani family wrote to the British Home Office that “growing up in Qatar has been the most difficult thing I have had to do” because “I never wanted to be put in this body.” In their application for asylum, the transgender princess described how she went into hiding with her girlfriend during a family trip to London in 2015 following years of depression. “I felt as though my life had been thrown in the garbage,” the princess wrote. “I never wanted to marry my male cousins like the rest of my family. I am terrified for what my brothers are about to unleash. I am scared.” Being gay in the country, host of the 2022 World Cup, is punishable by law and death, with possible sentences including up to three years in prison for the crime. An investigation by iNews last month also found that LGBTQ residents faced abduction and torture for their sexuality or gender expression.