As a gay traveler who has been through several Gulf untri dozens of tim, here's what I am and am not ncerned about when visg the untri.
Contents:
- SDI GAYS FLNT NEW EEDOMS: 'STRAIGHTS N'T KISS PUBLIC OR HOLD HANDS LIKE '
- IN POWERFUL REBE OF HATE, JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN MAK HISTORY G OUT AS GAY
- SDI GAY SCENE: 'FORBIDN, BUT I N'T HELP IT'
- LAWS AGAST GAY TRAVELERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST?
SDI GAYS FLNT NEW EEDOMS: 'STRAIGHTS N'T KISS PUBLIC OR HOLD HANDS LIKE '
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. * gay apps in saudi *
The webse of the Sdi Tourism Authory (STA) seems to have had s Q&A sectn updated to state that gay visors are wele the kgdom.
LGBTQ+ travelers are a lucrative market, acrdg to Darren Burn, CEO of Out Of Office, a luxury travel planng service for the muny, and of Travel Gay, the world’s largt LGBTQ+ travel platform.
IN POWERFUL REBE OF HATE, JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN MAK HISTORY G OUT AS GAY
Burn said that statns such as the Maldiv and Dubai, where homosexualy is a crimal offense, are popular, but whout more assuranc om the thori, Sdi Arabia uld be a tougher sell. One gay traveler who vised Sdi Arabia on a work trip October 2022 – before the webse was updated – told CNN that he felt “ the closet” durg his stay. “I told close lleagu, but I wasn’t [generally] talkg about beg gay, or my past experience.
SDI GAY SCENE: 'FORBIDN, BUT I N'T HELP IT'
“If you were to go there and be overtly gay I’d be que ncerned – I wouldn’t feel fortable gog there wh a partner – but ’s a untry that’s changg very quickly.
“In Dubai there are a lot of gay fluencers, and as long as you unrstand the ntext of the area you’re and rpect the tradnal culture and not show your queerns any way, you’re OK, ” she said. If you’re a cis, gay Wterner you’re wele. Dpe his skepticism, Darren Burn thks Sdi uld potentially be a gay-iendly statn.
LAWS AGAST GAY TRAVELERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST?
Adam* said was dangero to e out as gay his home untry and feared beg forced to an arranged marriage wh a said he was "so lucky" to wed his soulmate, Ray, Manchter and wish everyone uld marry who they love. There are more than 60 untri wh laws that crimalise same-sex sexual acts acrdg to the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn, cludg Sdi Arabia. 'Authentilly myself'Ray said he had also stggled growg up gay the 1970s and 80s England, which was "tough" said his relig school "dmmed to you, 'you are gog to hell'" Adam returned home to Sdi Arabia, spe beg more than 3, 000 apart and later rtricted by the Covid-19 panmic, they kept touch daily and the romance years ago, Ray proposed on a vio ll and after succsfully applyg for a UK fiancé visa, Adam moved to Manchter December 2022.
Adam said he had been aaid to even wear lours his home untry so the first thg he did when he moved was start to "grow my mullet, got my ears pierced and booked appotments for tattoos" relled how, ntrast, one of his gay iends Sdi had been forced to marry a woman, addg: "It has ed not only his life but the life of his wife.