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

Contents:

• ASIE EXPAT REVEALS WHAT ’S LIKE TO BE GAY DUBAI
• CAN I BE GAY DUBAI?
• GAY BARS AND NIGHTCLUBS - DUBAI FOM
• GAY EXPAT REVEALS WHAT ’S LIKE TO LIVE DUBAI WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS PUNISHABLE BY 10 YEARS PRISON
• GAY CAB CREW SECRETS OM THE MIDDLE EAST
• DUBAI GAY MAP
• PERIL AND PRIVILEGE: GAY EXPAT NIGHTLIFE DUBAI
• GAY DUBAI
• DUBAI NIGHTLIFE FOR GAY MALE TOURISTS - DUBAI FOM

ASIE EXPAT REVEALS WHAT ’S LIKE TO BE GAY DUBAI

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.

Nothg strange here you might thk, I mean, there are gay clubs the world over, right?

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. My iends back home London joked about my forthg years of celibacy and, though I lghed along wh them at the time, as the plane touched down on the tarmac of Dubai’s airport my bravado the get go, I’m unr no illns about Dubai’s official attu to homosexualy. 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 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?

I break my Dubai gay club virgy at one of the most popular hangouts.

Enterg via an unrground rpark 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). 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. Acrdg to the Internatnal Lbian and Gay Associatn, nsensual gay sex Dubai is punishable by up to 10 years prison.

GAY BARS AND NIGHTCLUBS - DUBAI FOM

Bee the mentaly here is that gay men need to be terred om homosexual activy, police raids of clubs and private parti are mon. 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. Foreigners are often put jail and then eventually ported, lols may have to endure hormone therapy to al wh their “problem” 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.

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.

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

Knowledgeable expats Dubai remend that Gay upl should not even risk old hands public.

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. 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.

There are no gay bars Dubai, but you n rt assured that there is a high gay-quotient every trendy bar. Gay marriage is not regnized Dubai, no matter how married you may be your home untry. Ironilly, beg sent to prison Eygpt only rults more gay sex.

GAY CAB CREW SECRETS OM THE MIDDLE EAST

Gay bars and nightclubs. Hello me and my boyiend will be visg May, I know 's a nservative untry but I've also been told 's tolerant - so I was checkg to see if there was a gay scene Dubai? Good gay clubs and bars?

I've seen a few YouTube vios of the gay scene Dubai but not specific to any areas or bars. Re: Gay bars and nightclubs.

No, homosexualy is illegal Dubai. That's not to say gay people don't live or vis Dubai as they do but they are not visibly open about.

DUBAI GAY MAP

There are no 'gay' clubs or scene as such. You'll be fe if you vis but no open displays of affectn and don't advertise the fact you're gay. As Hannah has said, 's not gay iendly so be discreet.

Dubai is urteo, but not gay iendly.

Homosexualy is illegal, and any gay bar would be quickly closed and s owners arrted.

PERIL AND PRIVILEGE: GAY EXPAT NIGHTLIFE DUBAI

Regardg bars and clubs we did not go but i have a iend livg there that said there are gay clubs where only men go, the only thg is that you nnot kiss there.

The higher-end hotels realize that makg gay upl jump through hoops is bad bs. Radisson Blu Hotel Dubais Media Cy has a gay & lbian night lled Bar on Fridays.

Dubai nightlife for gay male tourists.

GAY DUBAI

ON the surface, beg gay Dubai sounds like a dangero prospect. 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.

4 Atralian expat Pl Ewart shar his experience of beg a gay man DubaiCred: Pl Ewart.

DUBAI NIGHTLIFE FOR GAY MALE TOURISTS - DUBAI FOM

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.