Gay UAE: Thoughts on Visg as a Gay Man - OUT AND OUT

Contents:

• ABU DHABI GAY TRAVEL
• GAY ABU DHABI ABU DHABI CY GUI
• GAY AND GAY-IENDLY HOTELS ABU DHABI
• DUBAI GAY TRAVEL
• TRAVEL SAFETY REPORT: 20 WORST PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2021
• PERIL AND PRIVILEGE: GAY EXPAT NIGHTLIFE DUBAI
• SDI GAY SCENE: 'FORBIDN, BUT I N'T HELP IT'
• DUBAI NIGHTLIFE FOR GAY MALE TOURISTS - DUBAI FOM
• WHAT HAPPENED WHEN FOUR GAY GUYS FROM TEL AVIV TOOK A VATN TO DUBAI

ABU DHABI GAY TRAVEL

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. 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. 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. 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. In the Uned Arab Emirat, there are absolutely no gay rights or protectns and all relatns outsi of a heterosexual marriage are technilly crimal.

GAY ABU DHABI ABU DHABI CY GUI

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. 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.

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.

GAY AND GAY-IENDLY HOTELS ABU DHABI

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. ’ While the Uned Arab Emirat is extraordarily, vlently nservative by Wtern standards, s ci and Abu Dhabi particular are regard as LGBT+ oas wh the Arab unrground, secretive gay subculture Abu Dhabi is large and thrivg, wh knowledge of s events beg spread by word-of-mouth between knowg dividuals and so kept away om the thori.

For a trans person whom onlookers and listeners nsistently read as their chosen genr and whose documents reflect that genr, or a gay man or lbian whose appearance ntas no or only subtle markers of their sexualy, and who otherwise acts wh Emirati social norms while public, livg Abu Dhabi pos roughly the same challeng as anywhere else where one needs to nceal the nature of one’s attractns or expat Abu Dhabi n expect to never be able to marry or even discs their same-genr lover the cy or to be able to alter their legal documents to reflect a new genr g Emirati legal procs.

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. Hearg about gays beg beaten, kicked out of their hom, or takg their own liv – sad as all those thgs are – is the ual news the gay muny is attuned to hearg. Competive pric - Gay-owned bs - Support for LGBTQ+ NGOsmost bookedcheaptmisterb&b munyAcrdg to human rights and LGBTQ+ anizatns, sexual orientatn and genr inty are crimalized/margalized this statn.

DUBAI GAY TRAVEL

In -between public-private spac, such as hotels, the expectatn for all unmarried upl (gay or straight) is to have separate beds.

TRAVEL SAFETY REPORT: 20 WORST PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2021

Also, perhaps more subtly, the cultural diversy the UAE leads to more tolerance of diversy of genr exprsn; what some the Wt would nsir gay or queer may be a straight or unmarked behavr other cultur. Very subtle and specific behavrs that are ritured gay stereotyp the Wt like liftg the pky when drkg om a cup is not marked the Arab World at all. For example, the wikipedia page on LGBTQ rights the UAE claims that gay men are given the ath penalty the UAE; this is not te - the law is mistranslated om the Arabic (where is specifilly about rape).

For some time, the wikravel page on the UAE claimed that there are “vigilante executns” agast gay people the UAE all the time wh police plicy, which is outrageoly false. In this gui, I’ll help you navigate all the nfg rmatn about gay travel to Dubai, ver sential safety tips, and mentn some of the bt hotels and lol thgs to do. However, there is always the lgerg realy that you mt monor and censor your actns here, pecially a untry where beg gay is illegal.

PERIL AND PRIVILEGE: GAY EXPAT NIGHTLIFE DUBAI

Police are not patrollg the streets lookg for pairs of gay men, but bears to mentn that the law remas archaic disallowg any gay rights.

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

While you won’t fd any specifilly gay hotels Dubai, choosg one of the larger ternatnal hotel chas will have a big impact on your sense of safety as an LGBT traveler. While you should be credibly skeptil when browsg misleadg lists of Dubai gay bars, you n still have a fantastic time enjoyg the cy’s nightlife. Barbary Cocktail Club is another awome spot known as one of the few Dubai gay bars, remend by a iend of me who liv Dubai.

DUBAI NIGHTLIFE FOR GAY MALE TOURISTS - DUBAI FOM

Dubai’s thori will certaly not tolerate gay public displays of affectn, so remember that would be dangero to hold your partner’s hand while walkg down the street. But if you’ve ever met a male flight attendant that works for Emirat, they’ll tell you about all the Dubai gay lols livg this glzy metropolis.

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

And although there have been some improvements over recent years, more than 70 untri still have homophobic laws, acrdg to Equalx.

Sce the Fergsons’ study on the most dangero plac for gay travelers 2019, several laws have changed—some for the better (Sudan), and some for the worse (Hungary, Poland). “It was ranked so poorly 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. This Middle Eastern kgdom is another on our list which n implement the ath penalty for nsensual homosexualy unr their terpretatn of Sharia law, ” says Fergson.

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. “The punishments for homosexualy Malawi have earned this Ain untry as the number four worst untry for LGBTQ+ travelers, ” says Fergson.

In fact, Jamai was lled the most homophobic place on Earth by Time magaze 2006 and LGBTQ+ people are sadly still the victims of homophobic vlence today.

“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. That said, the LGBTQ+ muny is margalized this untry and there are heavy nsequenc for beg gay, which clu seven years to life prison for any same-sex act, ” says Fergson.

“One possible sign of posive chang the untry is that the print recently pardoned a gay uple who were sentenced to a 15-year prison term. 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. “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.

“In the Paltian terrori of Gaza and the Wt Bank, the anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment is taken very serly, wh homosexual acts rultg up to ten years prison, ” says Fergson. “Groups advotg for LGBTQ+ rights are threatened by the erng thori Palte, who nsir homosexualy to be ‘a blow to, and vlatn of, the ials and valu of Paltian society. “Iran ma number 15 on the x, due part to s extreme punishments for homosexualy, which clu 100 lash for terurse or the ath penalty, and 31 lash for same-sex acts other than terurse, ” says Fergson.