India’s sole entrant to Mr Gay World in hiding after threats

The sole entrant from India in this year’s Mr. Gay World, Thahir Mohammed Sayyed, has withdrawn from the competition and gone into hiding.

In a social media message to DNA India, Sayyed, a part-time model and fashion design post-graduate who would have been the only Asian participant in the competition, cites threats to his family as the reason for his withdrawal.

“I hope the organisers appreciate the difficulties I faced. I cannot take this pressure,” he told DNA India, refusing to speak on the phone, having switched it off for fear of ‘unwanted’ calls.

He went on to say that it would be unfair to drag his family into this and refused to comment on any ongoing pressure from his community, saying, “Talking about this will only worsen things.”

DNA India reported that his family had been prevented from praying at the local mosque, having been threatened with ostracism after his entry to the pageant – held in Knysna, South Africa this coming Sunday – became public.

Sayyed and his family could not be found at both their Kochi and Kottayam homes.