Physician Nas Mohamed has taken the bold move to publicly come out in his country, in which homosexuality is still illegal.
Nas Mohamed, a doctor in Quatar, has made the decision to come out in the media, possibly the first Qatari to declare himself as gay to the public. He’s now seeking asylum in the U.S. because his country is one of 70 countries in the world that still criminalize homosexuality.
“I already lost everything – my citizenship, my family and my financial security in Qatar,” he told The Independent. “For us to change things for LGBT+ Qataris, we need more people to come out.”
“I would like to share my views with my name, as a physician and as a Qatari citizen that still has parents and siblings in the country,” he says. “They need to know I am one of their own and am not a ‘western agenda’ as they refer to us.”
The first public, but not the only gay Qatari
The Qatari government does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil partnerships, nor does it allow people in Qatar to campaign for LGBT rights and any Qatari who comes out as gay can face up to three years in prison.
“There’s a lot of gay people in Qatar,” says Nas. “I didn’t realize how many people were gay in Qatar until I moved to the States. They were comfortable coming out to me.”
With sharing his story now in the media around the world, Nas hopes it will reach his native country, bring visibility and end the cycle of denial, not only for Qatari gay people but for all those living in the country.
“It’s time to give us rights, we need to be acknowledged and be honest about how we are treated,” he says. “I don’t think anyone can make a difference except Qataris.”