Open Secrets - Gay Life Pakistan | Durg my first trip t… | Flickr

Contents:

• GAY PAKISTAN: WHERE SEX IS AVAILABLE AND RELATNSHIPS ARE DIFFICULT
• OPEN SECRETS - GAY LIFE PAKISTAN
• GAY DATG PAKISTAN
• HOW GAY IS PAKISTAN?
• THERE IS PLENTY OF GAY SEX KARACHI, PAKISTAN

GAY PAKISTAN: WHERE SEX IS AVAILABLE AND RELATNSHIPS ARE DIFFICULT

Pakistan is not the kd of place that most people would associate wh gay liberatn.

But some say the untry is a great place to be gay - even scribg the port cy of Karachi as "a gay man's paradise". Unrground parti, group sex at shr and "marriag of nvenience" to members of the oppose sex are jt some of the surpris that gay Pakistan has to offer. Danyaal, as he's asked to be known, is a 50-somethg bsman who liv an affluent part of Karachi, and his smartphone to anise Karachi's gay party scene.

"The days there are smartphone apps that e GPS to tell you how close you are to another gay person wh an onle profile. There are thoands of gay men onle Pakistan at any one time. "If you want sex too, 's a gay man's paradise.

OPEN SECRETS - GAY LIFE PAKISTAN

"The vatn-only parti are a rare opportuny for gay men to be open about their sexualy.

"Gay men will make every effort to stop any vtment a same-sex relatnship bee they know that one day they will have to get married to a woman, " he says. For participants, 's anonymo group kd of behavur is, of urse, not ndoned by Pakistan's relig Pakistanis view homosexualy as sful. The vast majory of clerics terpret the Qoranic story of Lot as a clear ditn that God nmns homosexual men.

The shre is far om the only place Karachi where gay sex is eely is, for example, easy to buy om a malchi walah - a massr who offers massage and "extras" for the equivalent of £5, or $7. " Technilly, homosexual acts are illegal Pakistan. "In almost all s charg will be dropped, Iqbal says, but the boys will be forced to get married by their ocsnally, though, Pakistani parents do rencile themselv to children enterg a long-term gay and Ali are one such uple who have ma thgs work, agast the odds.

GAY DATG PAKISTAN

For many gay men Pakistan, a heterosexual marriage and a life of anonymo gropg is the long-term life n be even more difficult for gay women.

HOW GAY IS PAKISTAN?

So how do gay women make their liv work? I know some gay guys and maybe we'll do a al so we put money together and they have one portn of the hoe and we'll have another portn.

"Fatima, who ntribut to an vatn-only onle gay support group, believ 's only "a matter of time" before Pakistan begs to bate gay rights openly, and people clare their homosexualy wh pri.

"Gay rights Ameri me after women had basic rights. "I thk 's selfish for me to e out and mpaign for gay rights now.

THERE IS PLENTY OF GAY SEX KARACHI, PAKISTAN

But there will still be private spac where gay Pakistanis n exprs their sexualy of the nam of the ntributors have been changed to protect their n hear more on this story on BBC Rad 4's Crossg Contents, on Thursday 29 Augt at 11:00am or on Assignment on the World Service on the same day. Durg my first trip to Pakistan*, I found the untry teemg wh homosexuals. SummaryReturng for a vis as an openly gay man, Mawaan Rizwan asks what is like to be gay Pakistan and fds a stgglg but excg and diverse unrground LGBTQ muny.

Tle: How Gay Is Pakistan? Keywords: AIDS and fectns, gay and lbian movement, gay muni, gay rights, genr inty, health servic accsibily, homophobia, homophobic asslt, homosexual men, homosexual relatnships, homosexual sex, homosexualy, Islam, Islamic culture, LGBT, LGBT issu, LGBT movement, LGBT workers, Pakistan, ral areas, Safe sex, Sexually transmted disease screeng, Sexually transmted diseas: preventn, transgenr discrimatn, transgenr movement, transgenr rights, transgenred persons. Beg gay is nsired a taboo vice and gay rights are close to non-existent.