Gay expat reveals what ’s like to live Dubai where homosexualy is punishable by 10 years prison | The Sun

Contents:

• GAY EXPAT REVEALS WHAT ’S LIKE TO LIVE DUBAI WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS PUNISHABLE BY 10 YEARS PRISON
• DUBAI: GAY TRAVEL ADVICE (OM A LOL)
• CAN I BE GAY DUBAI?
• WHAT HAPPENED WHEN FOUR GAY GUYS FROM TEL AVIV TOOK A VATN TO DUBAI
• PERIL AND PRIVILEGE: GAY EXPAT NIGHTLIFE DUBAI
• DUBAI FOR GAY UPLE - LGBTQIA+ TRAVEL FOM
• DUBAI GAY TRAVEL
• ONE OF THE MOST ANTI-GAY UNTRI IS ABOUT TO HOST A NFERENCE ON LGBTQ RIGHTS
• BEG GAY DUBAI AND ABU DHABI
• GAY DUBAI DUBAI CY GUI

GAY EXPAT REVEALS WHAT ’S LIKE TO LIVE DUBAI WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS PUNISHABLE BY 10 YEARS PRISON

Ined, should you be unlucky enough to be ught engagg homosexual activy the regn, reports claim that punishment n range om 10 years prison, f, portatn and even the ath penalty. Dpe this, Dubai is host to a thrivg unrground gay scene, wh men flockg to unofficial LGBT clubs wh ltle fear of the nsequenc, acrdg to Detaed Dubai.

DUBAI: GAY TRAVEL ADVICE (OM A LOL)

It’s 2am and the club is packed wh a sea of sweaty, gay men gettg their groove on to a Madonna classic — and I’m one of them. 4 Pl claims clubs are packed wh a sea of sweaty, gay men gettg their groove on to Madonna classicsCred: Pl Ewart. Dpe beg nservative by Wtern standards, this is where alhol and sex-starved Arabs flock to drov to get their fix — and that clus the gays.

At my publishg pany, I’m told no uncerta terms to avoid g gay referenc wh stori which — when wrg celebry, pop culture and fashn — was particularly difficult.

On the surface ndns for gay Dubaiians might seem bleak, but thanks to some quickly acquired gay iends I learn quickly that, spe the legali, a vibrant gay scene flourish.

CAN I BE GAY DUBAI?

Enterg via an unrground r park on a Saturday eveng, my male iend and I enunter the uneven door polici that are rife throughout gay venu (a vague attempt to curb gay activy).

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN FOUR GAY GUYS FROM TEL AVIV TOOK A VATN TO DUBAI

4 Pl says a vibrant gay scene flourish the Arab untry, spe homosexualy beg agast the lawCred: Pl Ewart. Passg on that offer, I quickly meet an equally forward New Zealanr workg as crew for Emirat Airl (where a large portn of the cy’s gay ntgent work). Though I had a boyiend (an English expat) for the bulk of my time the cy, my gay iends played the field extensively and I know om their rpective tal that there was no shortage of actn.

Ined, wh a meltg pot of party-lovg Asi and Brs, lubrited wh large quanti of booze, no matter if you’re gay OR straight, bedhoppg is a cert. While Dubai has bee somethg of a gay Mec for Arabs om surroundg untri where there are even harsher views on homosexualy (you n’t get much harsher than the ath penalty, after all) gays the cy n’t afford to rt on their lrels.

PERIL AND PRIVILEGE: GAY EXPAT NIGHTLIFE DUBAI

Acrdg to the Internatnal Lbian and Gay Associatn, nsensual gay sex Dubai is punishable by up to 10 years prison. Bee the mentaly here is that gay men need to be terred om homosexual activy, police raids of clubs and private parti are mon.

DUBAI FOR GAY UPLE - LGBTQIA+ TRAVEL FOM

For a time, the thori even patrolled the plethora of Dubai malls, searchg for “obv” signs of homosexualy. When unspectg gay men are entrapped, the nsequenc of their sexualy are pennt on their natnaly.

The hard le taken by Dubai officials has led to var reports of jtice makg ternatnal headl, but unfortunately, there are untls s of gay persecutn that undoubtedly still rema undocumented. To vtigate further we nnected wh Liam, a gay guy who lived Dubai for most of his life to learn more about the realy of beg gay Dubai and fd out what advice he had for gay travellers thkg about gog.

DUBAI GAY TRAVEL

You did not see any gay reprentatn at all and was not talked about – you were put to the tegory of beg straight no matter what. Is there a huge difference between beg a gay expat Dubai vs a tourist vs a gay lol Dubai (someone whose fay has lived there for many generatns). Homosexualy is unfortunately still not legal across the entire Uned Arab Emirat (UAE) and there are ser nsequenc if ught.

Specifilly, Dubai homosexualy is punishable by prison/or a fe and then subsequently you will be ported. For the majory of the time, lol attus towards gay lol expats livg Dubai and gay tourists are the same. However, lookg at a gay expat vs someone who has lived there for generatns you will see a massive difference.

ONE OF THE MOST ANTI-GAY UNTRI IS ABOUT TO HOST A NFERENCE ON LGBTQ RIGHTS

For a lol whose fay has lived Dubai for generatns, beg gay has to be hidn and has to be secret, pecially strict Mlim fai: beg gay is totally forbidn. Liam: There are plac that are sentially ‘gay bars’ Dubai (and I e the term ‘gay bars’ very loosely), however the are not labelled as such. The maly e about when someone who owns the ‘gay bar’ holds fluence wh the lol thori and so n operate this (discreet) way.

BEG GAY DUBAI AND ABU DHABI

The will not e up as legally, officially or outwardly facg as gay bars, clubs or events (bee fundamentally they are not) but they are popular wh the LGBTQ+ crowd. Sn: Could you talk a b about any posive or negative experienc you have had Dubai as a gay man? Sn: what advice you’d give gay travellers thkg about Dubai – to go or not to go and why.

Liam: I would avoid all public displays of behavur (this is forbidn straight, gay, lbian – UAE IS A MUSLIM COUNTRY) so ’s not a le jt for LGBTQ people.

As every untry, there are plenty of gay people Dubai, is more a qutn of how openly you n be gay Dubai. There are no LGBT (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr) rights any of the Uned Arab Emirat. This means that the more ual punishments for beg gay – beatgs, prolonged imprisonment, flogggs, torture, and chemil stratn – would be nsired to be gettg off lightly.

GAY DUBAI DUBAI CY GUI

Back 2013 they discsed troducg some form of ttg to prevent gay foreigners om enterg any of those untri. They only dropped the proposal bee they feared a ntroversy that might rail the 2022 FIFA World Cup , no: not a gay-iendly regn.