Samir, like many gay men the Arab world, guards his sexual orientatn wh a paranoid secrecy. To feel ee he tak long vatns to Thailand, where he has a boyiend, and spends weekends Lebanon, which he regards as havg a more gay-tolerant society. But at home Sdi Arabia, he is vigilant. Samir's parents don't know of his liftyle. He says his mom would kill herself if she found out. They nstantly set him up wh women they nsir potential wiv. At work, Samir watch his words, reful not to aroe the spicn of lleagu.
Contents:
- SDI GAY SCENE: 'FORBIDN, BUT I N'T HELP IT'
- SDI GAYS FLNT NEW EEDOMS: 'STRAIGHTS N'T KISS PUBLIC OR HOLD HANDS LIKE '
- SDI ARABIA CELEBRAT PRI MONTH BY HANGG GAYS WH RABOW NOOSE
SDI GAY SCENE: 'FORBIDN, BUT I N'T HELP IT'
* sudi gay *
DUBAI, Uned Arab Emirat, May 25, 2009 — -- For Samir*, a 34-year-old gay man livg Sdi Arabia, each day is a nial.
He liv Mec, the holit cy acrdg to Islam, and is acutely aware of the stigma that surrounds his gay liftyle. To feel ee he tak long vatns to Thailand, where he has a boyiend, and spends weekends Lebanon, which he regards as havg a more gay-tolerant at home Sdi Arabia, he is vigilant. "Samir ocsnally go to Sdi f known to be popular gay hangouts, but his public engagements stop there.
He and his iends are nstantly wary of officers om the Commissn for the Promotn of Virtue and Preventn of Vice, the kgdom's relig police, who patrol for and punish men they spect of beg gay. In a recent se they apprehend one man at a Jeddah shoppg mall, spectg he was gay om his tight jeans and fted shirt. "I've been ved to private parti for gay men Jeddah, but I never go bee I know what would happen if we were ught, " Samir told ABC News.
SDI GAYS FLNT NEW EEDOMS: 'STRAIGHTS N'T KISS PUBLIC OR HOLD HANDS LIKE '
Gay men n go cisg -- a term for pickg up partners -- and socialize male-only sectns of f and rtrants.
In le wh sex-segregated social norms, gay lovers n often spend timate time together whout arog gays and lbians Sdi Arabia still need to acmodate the prsur of public life, some s pairg off to acmodate a eer liftyle.
It's the perfect solutn, " says Samir, addg that he wouldn't md a lbian wife of his Samir, the dozens of emergg Web foms for gay Arab men are a eer alternative to the offle Sdi society.
SDI ARABIA CELEBRAT PRI MONTH BY HANGG GAYS WH RABOW NOOSE
"Gay Web S Blocked Many Arab CountriWeb foms like and are accsible many Arab untri, blocked by state-n web filterg software. Usg proxy servers men n get around the bans to the blocked s, nnectg wh potential dat and buildg a knowledge base for gay life the Arab blog om Syria, largely nsired a reprsed society, tails a tourist's gui to gay hangouts Damasc and Aleppo.
"From his home Mec, Samir n surf the web foms and Facebook groups that nnect him to the gay Arab world. If they have their eye on you, they n follow your every move, " he Samir's approach seems paranoid, 's ndned by horror stori of harsh crackdowns by Arab ernments on gay life.