Two transgender men were referred to prosecution on Sunday over charges of prostitution and posting sexually explicit videos online.
The Nasr City Prosecution extended their detention with four more days pending investigations.
State media mentioned that the names of the defendants are “Samla and Dody”. The exact names are still unknown.
Preliminary investigations suggested that the two defendants “have a female physique and male genital organs”. The prosecution said that they showed themselves wearing feminine clothes, offering sex in return for money.
According to official reports, the two defendants were arrested in a private flat in Nasr City, Cairo, where the police would have confiscated female clothes, mobile phones and sex toys.
According to Egyptian law, the possession of sex toys, and feminine clothes and wigs is not illegal.
Egypt’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has faced an intensified crackdown by authorities since 2013.
In Egypt, no specific law outlaws homosexuality or being a transgender. However, in most related cases the prosecution used Article 9 of Law 10/1961, which is concerned with “debauchery”, to convict people accused of engaging in homosexuality.
The law is frequently used to accuse defendants of prostitution.