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

Contents:

• ABU DHABI GAY TRAVEL
• GAY ABU DHABI ABU DHABI CY GUI
• GAY EXPAT REVEALS WHAT ’S LIKE TO LIVE DUBAI WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS PUNISHABLE BY 10 YEARS PRISON
• PERIL AND PRIVILEGE: GAY EXPAT NIGHTLIFE DUBAI
• GAYS OF ABU DHABI
• DUBAI NIGHTLIFE FOR GAY MALE TOURISTS - DUBAI FOM
• SDI GAY SCENE: 'FORBIDN, BUT I N'T HELP IT'
• GAY CAB CREW SECRETS OM THE MIDDLE EAST

ABU DHABI GAY TRAVEL

Gay travelers terted visg Abu Dhabi often wonr whether ’s safe, or even a good ia, nsirg how nservative the culture is.

GAY ABU DHABI ABU DHABI CY GUI

It’s imperative for gay travelers to take certa preutns to stay safe Abu Dhabi sce homosexualy or any queer-prentg behavr is not tolerated. I vised Abu Dhabi wh my gay llege roommate along wh a few other iends, and we had no issu. If you’re wonrg why any gay traveler would want to vis a place that opprs LGBTQ people, my answer is that addn to basic cursy, I love Arab culture and language.

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

Staff at the properti should have enough cultural trag to know how to al LGBT tourists, or even two gay dividuals planng on sleepg the same bed. Novotel Al Btan is at the southern end of Downtown Abu Dhabi and is also owned by Acr Hotels, so I would remend to gay travelers.

While ’s not the saft place for gay travelers, Abu Dhabi isn’t the most dangero statn eher. If you’re seekg to nnect wh another LGBT dividual via gay apps (like Grdr or Scff), remember that you’ll need a VPN nnectn to do so.

PERIL AND PRIVILEGE: GAY EXPAT NIGHTLIFE DUBAI

In the Uned Arab Emirat, there are absolutely no gay rights or protectns and all relatns outsi of a heterosexual marriage are technilly crimal. Police aren’t patrollg the streets lookg for gay men Abu Dhabi, but ’s worth mentng that the law remas archaic. While I don’t disurage any gay travelers om visg Abu Dhabi, those lookg for Middle Eastern statns that are much more LGBT-iendly should thk about ci like Tel Aviv stead.

All that said, would be rels not to state that homosexualy is illegal throughout the UAE. You are unlikely to enunter any issu as a gay traveller, provid that you avoid all signs of public affectn.

The bt hotels Abu DhabiBefore choosg your Abu Dhabi hotel, ’s key to remember the above pot that homosexualy is illegal across the Uned Arab Emirat; many hotels will not perm two male panns to share a bed.

GAYS OF ABU DHABI

However, as Dubai, five-star ternatnal hotel brands tend to be the most acmodatg of gay travellers.

DUBAI NIGHTLIFE FOR GAY MALE TOURISTS - DUBAI FOM

As such, our Mr Hudson-approved Abu Dhabi gay scene gui purposefully clus the most geo Abu Dhabi hotels where you are ls likely to enunter discrimatn. If upon arrival your bed preference is changed, we do not remend argug wh the assigned sleepg arrangements—this is an unfortunate circumstance of visg a lole where homosexualy remas illegal. Homosexualy⚢✖ Illegal (ath penalty as punishment)Censorship✖ Imprisonment as punishmentNon-bary genr regnn✖ Not legally regnizedDiscrimatn✖ No protectnsEmployment Discrimatn✖ No protectnsHog Discrimatn✖ No protectnsDonatg Blood✖ Banned (fe ferral)Conversn Therapy✖ Not banned.

Conversn therapy Abu Dhabi is not banned Homosexualy is currently age of nsent Abu Dhabi? 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.

SDI GAY SCENE: 'FORBIDN, BUT I N'T HELP IT'

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.

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). 4 Pl says a vibrant gay scene flourish the Arab untry, spe homosexualy beg agast the lawCred: Pl Ewart.

GAY CAB CREW SECRETS OM THE MIDDLE EAST

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. 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.