Male tourists in Dubai fined Dh10,000 for cross-dressing

Two Dubai tourists were arrested after dressing as women in a Burj Khalifa nightclub in December.

DUBAI // Two Brazilian men who went to a nightclub wearing dresses were fined Dh10,000 each on Wednesday after they admitted impersonating women.

There was confusion at the Dubai Court of Misdemeanours, where officials were unclear whether the two tourists were male or female. A forensics examination had established that they had had surgery to enhance their breasts and look more feminine.

The two men visited the Armani/Privé nightclub at the Burj Khalifa after midnight on December 13, one wearing a short black dress and the other a long black dress.

“There were women and men at the place, we sat opposite the bar and about 10 minutes later the security guards came to us and asked for our identification cards,” said one of the men, 31.

The security guards called police, who arrested both of the men. They were referred to public prosecution and charged with impersonating women and wearing women’s clothes.

“I am wrong. I did not know it was illegal to wear women’s clothes in the UAE. This is my first time here,” the man said.

The other man, 38, a cosmetics trainer in Brazil, also said he did not know it was illegal to dress as a woman. “I’m sorry, it was wrong of me,” he said.

They will be deported after paying the fine.