This controversial Instagram star was arrested and abused for being 'too feminine' in Kuwait

The man, who goes by the name King Luxy on Instagram, was handcuffed and taken to the hotel where he was staying on his two-week trip to the Gulf state, before being asked to pack his belongings.

"Walking by restaurants area I was stopped by undercover CID (Criminal Investigation Department) policeman complaining about the way I dressed and my 'feminine' looking face," Luxy told Gay Star News.

Police officers at the scene allegedly said "they were going to make a man out of him," Luxy claimed.

The 19-year-old was then taken to a detention centre where he was beaten and humiliated, had his phone confiscated and his head shaved. He also claimed officers proposed sex in return for letting him go.

"After they searched my phone and find out I am popular social media influencer in Middle East, every hour someone would open the door, laugh, spit and humiliate me, and then leave," he said.

"They beat me, and took pictures of me with their personal cell phone cameras.

"The police shaved my head hair and force to walking near all the other detainees to make me feel ashamed.

"They all would follow me, kick from the back injuring all my bottom part of the body and swearing at me in Arabic," he said.

Luxy was freed two weeks later and immediately deported, and is now banned from returning to Kuwait.

But the Instagram celebrity, who attracts an array of comments for his controversial online posts, has faced similar situations previously.

Last year, Luxy claimed he was detained upon arrival in Doha's Hamad International Airport and held for some two months.

Kuwaiti authorities have yet to comment on the incident and Luxy's ordeal remains unverified.

However, similar stories have been reported across the GCC where the law has a zero tolerance approach toward cross-dressing.

Last month, two Singaporean nationals were sentenced to one year in prison after being charged with "violating the UAE's laws around gender and sexuality".

Fashion photographer Muhammad Fadli bin Abdul Rahman and transgender friend Noor Vitriya Kistina Ibrahim were arrested at a shopping mall in Abu Dhabi for "looking feminine".

Fadli, 26, told his family that he was wearing earrings and a tie at the time of his arrest.