India’s Entrant to Mr. Gay World Has Quit Citing Threats to His Family

Thahir Mohammed Sayyed has reportedly gone into hiding.

Organizers of the Mr. Gay World pageant in South Africa were left shocked and disappointed after India’s entrant to the competition pulled out due to a flurry of homophobic abuse.

Thahir Mohammed Sayyed, a Brisbane-based model, withdrew from the event over threats to himself and his family back home, the Press Trust of India reported. India reinstated a colonial-era law against homosexuality in 2013, and recently voted in favor of an unsuccessful proposal to deny benefits to gay U.N. staffers. 

The weeklong event will begin in Knysna, South Africa, on Sunday and will feature contestants from 20 countries. Sayyed would have been the only Asian participant.