A group of Arab iends livg Qatar's pal Doha met up over cktails and snacks last week, exchangg opns as they flicked through profil of gay men on datg apps Tr and Grdr. The iends, who met up days before the soccer World Cup kicks off Qatar on Sunday, are part of a Doha gay scene that's managg to fly unr the radar a natn where same-sex relatns are illegal and punishable by up to three years of jail-time. Rters spoke to four gay men Doha - the Wterner, two Qataris pl an Arab om elsewhere the regn - who said they lived the untry, a mag for foreign workers, bee they had well-paid jobs, pl iends or fay there.
Contents:
- GAY DOHA TRAVEL GUI
- DOHA - GAY LIFE - DOHA FOM
- BEG GAY DOHA
- GAY UPL VISG - DOHA FOM
- WHAT ’S LIKE TO BE GAY AND QATARI
- 5 SAFT PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2019 (AND THE MOST DANGERO)
- GAY LIFE DOHA?
- GAY PEOPLE LIVG UNR RADAR QATAR PREPARE WARILY FOR WORLD CUP
- GAY AND GAY-IENDLY HOTELS DOHA
- EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS DOHA
- GAY QATARIS PHYSILLY ABED THEN RECED AS AGENTS, MPAIGNER SAYS
- GAY CAB CREW SECRETS OM THE MIDDLE EAST
GAY DOHA TRAVEL GUI
* gay doha *
Quatar remas a very nservative Mlim untry and th there is not really a btlg gay scene.
DOHA - GAY LIFE - DOHA FOM
A group of Arab iends livg Qatar's pal Doha met up over cktails and snacks last week, exchangg opns as they flicked through profil of gay men on datg apps Tr and Grdr. * gay doha *
The bt place to fd both lol and ternatnal gays is at hotel bars of large wtern hotel chas. I am a gay male planng on visg Doha around the end of the year for 2 weeks. I was hopg to get some on where I n fd iends to hang out wh that are gay.
Not necsarily a bar bee i know Qatar don't have gay bars, but jt a place that is unofficially a gay hang out place. I am not tryg to host a bate on gay rights, nor I want to mount polemics.
I know that wh the UAE, the general nsens is that there are not really problems for gay (male) upl that vis the untry (as long as you keep a low profile). Wh the whole 'screeng for gays at immigratn' proposal that some untri the regn were talkg about a while ago, I feel a b nervo. Dependg on where they’re head, gay travelers n face great risks.
BEG GAY DOHA
Gay Qataris have been promised safety om torture exchange for helpg to track down other LGBTQ+ people, a proment Qatari gay-rights mpaigner has said * gay doha *
Acrdg to Equalx, a range of gay activi are illegal 71 untri.
In an attempt to help terme the worst plac for gay travelers, the duo created the 2019 LGBTQ+ Danger Inx, rankg the world’s most dangero—and saft—untri for gay travelers. The uple also updated the list wh the bt and worst plac for gay travelers 2021, which n be viewed here.
GAY UPL VISG - DOHA FOM
A new report tails the most dangero—and saft—plac for gay.
The journalists looked at the top 150 most-vised untri the world by the number of g tourists, then ranked them g eight factors, cludg laws agast gay relatnships, legal protectn agast discrimatn and more. Toppg the LGBTQ+ Danger Inx is Nigeria, which is nsired the worst untry for vlence agast gay travelers. There, people n be put prison for up to 14 years jt for beg gay, and some stat even have the ath penalty unr Sharia law.
WHAT ’S LIKE TO BE GAY AND QATARI
In almost all s, the laws outlawg nsensual gay sex were put to place unr Brish le and were left place followg pennce. “In 2018, India managed to annul Sectn 377, a Brish lonial-era law prohibg ‘unnatural acts, ’ orr to legalize nsensual gay sex, ” says Fergson, who pots out that ancient Indian lerature such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana have many referenc to LGBTQ+ hero cludg transgenr warrrs and two queens who ma love orr for one queen to get pregnant wh an heir for their kgdom.
“Long story short, this pots to the fact that was likely the Brish fluence that largely led to Indian homophobia the first place, ” she says.
5 SAFT PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2019 (AND THE MOST DANGERO)
“We found this to be a b ironic as the reason for many of the harsh homophobic laws untri throughout the world is largely leftover om laws created durg Brish le, ” says Fergson. Has ma great progrs wh legalized same-sex marriage, worker protectns and crimalizatn of homophobic vlence.
GAY LIFE DOHA?
“One reason for that is that there is a great al of variatn gay rights pendg on the state you’re , ” says Fergson. You n see the entire rankg of the 150 untri here and also get 37 safety Swen, the saft untry the world for gay. Prime Mister Jt T promoted clivy by marchg Toronto’s Pri Para and beme the untry’s first Prime Mister to vis a gay bar.
Ci like Lisbon and Porto have the bt gay scen the untry and Portugal is hopg to host the 2022 Europri, the world's biggt event celebratg gay pri Europe. Wh an overall natnal attu that is relaxed and acceptg towards homosexualy, Belgium is known for havg a vibrant gay and lbian scene, particularly Bssels, ” says Fergson. ”On a street Doha, Qatar, which is the send most dangero untry the world for gay...
GAY PEOPLE LIVG UNR RADAR QATAR PREPARE WARILY FOR WORLD CUP
It was ranked so highly largely due to the extreme penalti for simply beg gay, which clu up to 14 years prison and the ath penalty stat unr Sharia law, ” says Fergson. “This oil-rich Middle Eastern untry enforc up to three years prison, floggg and the ath penalty unr Sharia law for any acts of homosexualy.
“In Yemen, the punishment for beg gay for both men and women is prison time and 100 lash, wh ath by stong for married men, ” says Fergson.
“This nservative Mlim untry means bs when to rejectg homosexualy, both s laws and general public sentiment. “Sdi Arabia is another of the untri on our list which implements the ath penalty for nsensual homosexualy unr their terpretatn of Sharia law, ” says Fergson.
GAY AND GAY-IENDLY HOTELS DOHA
“In Tanzania, any homosexual acts rult 30 years to life prison, and there has been a recent ernment crackdown on LGBT activy wh the untry. “Iran ma #6 on the x, due part to s extreme punishments for homosexualy, which clu 100 lash for homosexual terurse or the ath penalty, and 31 lash for same-sex acts other than terurse, ” says Fergson. “Publicly, homosexualy is a taboo topic, so LGBTQ+ travelers choosg to vis Sudan should proceed wh utn and rema discreet wh regards to their sexualy.
”On the island of Barbados, which is the most dangero untry the Caribbean for gay. “Historilly, Barbados and some other Caribbean islands have had poor anti-LGBTQ+ legislatn and practic, largely left over om the Brish occupatn which put the laws place and rerced anti-gay attus. Unfortunately, imposed punishment for homosexualy is severe and the existence of gay people Malaysia was nied by their tourism mister as recently as March 2019, ” says Fergson.
EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS DOHA
“Unr state terpretatn of Sharia law, homosexualy Malaysia rults up to 20 years prison, whippg and f.
GAY QATARIS PHYSILLY ABED THEN RECED AS AGENTS, MPAIGNER SAYS
“The punishments for homosexualy Malawi have earned this Ain untry spot #10 on our list, ” says Fergson. Pro-LGBTQ+ anizatns are also banned by the ernment Malawi and general public sentiment regards homosexualy as off-lims. That said, the LGBTQ+ muny is margalized this untry and there are heavy nsequenc for beg homosexual, which clu seven years to life prison for any same-sex act, ” says Fergson.
GAY CAB CREW SECRETS OM THE MIDDLE EAST
“Homosexual terurse rults life prison and pro-LGBTQ+ anizatns are banned throughout the untry. Unfortunately, thgs may soon be gettg even worse for the LGBTQ+ muny, as the Ugandan ernment has recently lled to retroduce an anti-homosexualy bill, which would clu the ath penalty for same-sex acts, the midst of the recent murr of a gay Ugandan activist. “Same-sex relatnships are nsired to be taboo Pakistan and there are strict laws erng agast homosexualy.
For example, homosexual terurse n rult up to 10 years prison wh a fe or life prison, ” says Fergson.
“In the Paltian terrori of Gaza and the Wt Bank, the anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment is taken very serly, wh homosexual acts rultg up to 10 years prison, ” says Fergson.