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2 Gay party halted 1/04

2a Tourist convicted of gay sex acts 3/06

3 Gulf authorities to pay for gender reassignment 11/07

4 Crackdown on gays proposed in Bahrain 2/08

5 Government of Bahrain seeks to punish 'homosexual children' 4/08

6 Bahraini MP calls for gay crackdown to begin 7/08

7 Gay Life in Bahrain - an interview 7/08

8 Bahrain MP calls for action against homosexuals 10/08

Manila Times, Manila, Philippines (http://www.manilatimes.net)

July 11, 2002

1
Bahrain cracks down on gay migrant workers

by Joshua Dancel
The government of Bahrain has begun cracking down on homosexual migrant workers, including those who are Filipino.

Administrator Wilhelm Soriano of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said yesterday overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) found to be gay would be deported by Bahrain starting next week.

An Islamic state comprising 33 islands on the western side of the Persian Gulf, Bahrain embraces Islam which bans homosexuality. Its capital and largest city of Bahrain is Manama. Soriano said the Bahraini government has already issued closure notices to about 500 beauty salons, massage parlors, flower and tailoring shops where gays are believed to be employed. "Bahraini police suspected these shops and stores provide haven for illicit homosexual activities and prostitution," he said.

These service shops and stores employ about 2,000 gay Filipinos, he said. Soriano said the Bahrain government would start padlocking these shops and deporting all homosexual OFWs. He said the Philippine embassy has received numerous requests to make plead with the Bahrain government to give the workers at least six months, enough time for them to fi–nish their contracts and prepare for the trip home.

"Others have gone to courts seeking to defer the enforcement of the crackdown," he said. Soriano said embassy officials and welfare officers are preparing an agreement with the host government as soon as official notification is sent to Philippine representatives. The only setback that Soriano sees once Bahrain makes good its threat is that the embassy would be deluged with calls for help from runaway gay laborers.

"I’m expecting 2,000 gay workers to be affected, most likely to be sent home," Soriano said. He did not say how many Filipinos work in Bahrain. There are more than a million Filipinos employed in the Middle East.

Gulf Daily News, Manama, Bahrain ( http://www.gulf-daily-news.com )
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Articles.asp?Article=71228&Sn=BNEW

10 January 2003

2
Gay party halted

Manama - A gay party planned at a Bahrain hotel was halted by authorities after parliament members protested. "As soon as we heard about this, we made immediate contacts with government officials to stop this immoral event from taking place in Bahrain for the second time," Al Menbar National Islamic Society member and MP Mohammed Khalid told our Arabic sister paper Akhbar Al Khaleej. Fellow society member and MP Dr Saadi Mohammed Abdulla thanked Interior Ministry and Information Ministry officials for intervening.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-994.html

March 31, 2006

2a
Tourist convicted of gay sex acts

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A Kuwaiti tourist has been convicted and fined for having gay sex with a Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) recruit. The Lower Criminal Court in Manama handed the unnamed 23 year old man a 100 Bahrain Dollar fine after he was found naked in a car with a 22 year old Bahraini on the seafront in February.

He pleaded guilty to immoral acts in public and told the court it all happened because he was drunk. The policeman who discovered the pair said, "At 3.30am, I was on patrol duty in the Manama area and we saw a Honda car parked near the beach in a way that aroused our suspicion.

"We stopped our patrol car at a distance and got out to check what was going on. When we got closer we saw two naked men trying to put their clothes back on. Later on we found out that one of them is a BDF military man, who admitted that he had sex with the Kuwaiti."

The Kuwaiti has been remanded in custody awaiting a medical examination, while the serviceman has been handed back to the BDF who will hold an inquiry.

Homosexuality is a crime in Bahrain.

pinknews.co.uk
http://pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-6169.html

27th November 2007

3
Gulf authorities to pay for gender reassignment

by Gemma Pritchard
The Bahraini government has agreed to pay for a trans person to undergo gender reassignment surgery in Thailand. According to daily English-language newspaper Gulf Daily News, 32-year old Hussain Rabie is due to fly out to Thailand on Thursday to undergo female-to-male surgery on Sunday. Rabie, who is partially blind in his right eye, hopes to return to represent the Bahrain Disabled Sports Federation in the men's shot put and discus. His trip to Thailand is being fully funded by the Bahrain Health Ministry and he also has a court order to protect him if he is questioned by immigration officers. The Health Ministry will pay more than BD5,000 (£6,400) for his operation, accommodation, plane ticket, food and drink while he is there.

When he returns, his final hurdle will be the Bahraini courts, where he is battling for the right to be recognised as a man and officially change his name to Hussain. "I am so happy that the ministry offered to pay for the operation," Rabie told Gulf Daily News yesterday. "I was very concerned as to how I would manage - I didn't know where to get that amount from." He said that he wrote to former Health Minister Dr Nada Haffadh asking for support, but could not believe it when the ministry responded.

"I would like to thank the ministry for their help and support." He added: "I am still not officially Hussain, but hopefully after the operation I will get a court order stating that I am a male and then all my identity cards and passport will change and I will officially be a man."

As a result of his decision to have the operation, he has now been suspended from his job as an operator at GPIC, been shunned by peers, separated from his husband and stopped from going to the gym. However, he said although society is slowly starting to accept his situation after he went public, people are still opposed to him having the operation. "People are still not aware of the kind of surgery being carried out," he said. "The community accepts homosexuals, so why are they against me? What they are doing is legally and religiously prohibited, but I have seen so many people who are leading a normal life and working. Everybody around them accepts them. I am medically unfit and I want to correct my problem."

Rabie first approached a lawyer in August 2005 and legal papers calling for him to be legally recognised as a man were filed in June last year. He submitted medical reports from Al Khalidi Medical Centre, Jordan, Ibn Al Nafees Hospital and Shifa Al Jazeera Medical Centre, Bahrain, at two court hearings last year. The High Civil Court also ordered for a medical report to be compiled by a Public Prosecution doctor. That report states that he is suffering from a gender identity problem and has no female reproductive organs. He has had a mastectomy and will travel for Thailand for his final operation.

pinknews.co.uk
http://pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-6851.html

14th February 2008

4
Crackdown on gays proposed in Bahrain

by PinkNews.co.uk staff writer
MPs in the Gulf state of Bahrain are calling for a range of measures to be taken against gay people in the country, including deporting foreigners suspected of being gay. The country only held its first elections in 2002, and since then politicians have mainly addressed themselves to "moral" issues such as banning female mannequins from shop windows and tackling the widespread problem of "sorcery." The bi-cameral parliament is dominated by Shia and Sunni Islamist parties. The foreign affairs, defence and national security committee has backed proposals to tighten immigration checks to stop foreign gay people entering the country.

"The Interior Ministry has told us that it already bans suspected homosexuals as they try entering the country from Bahrain International Airport," committee secretary Jalal Fairooz told Gulf Daily News. They look manly as they come to the airport, but when they get in they return back to their unaccepted homosexual attitude. Homosexuals are found in huge numbers at hairdressing salons and beauty and massage spas, which the ministry regularly inspects. Those who look homosexual or offer customers personal services are being caught by police and taken to the Public Prosecution."

Mr Fairooz said that homosexuals were a "threat to our society and Islamic values." The committee is also proposing that a study be carried out to ascertain how widespread homosexuality is in the country. Gulf Daily News reports that "the Education Ministry claims there are no homosexuals in schools" in Bahrain. The proposals will now be considered by the Bahrain parliament's general-secretariat. In 2006 a Kuwaiti tourist was convicted and fined for having gay sex with a Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) recruit.

The Lower Criminal Court in Manama handed the unnamed 23 year old man a 100 Bahraini Dollar fine after he was found naked in a car with a 22 year old Bahraini on the seafront.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-7476.html

April 23, 2008

5
Government of Bahrain seeks to punish 'homosexual children'

by Adam Lake
The government of Bahrain is taking action to stamp out homosexuals in the country. In a wide ranging set of proposals MP's have set out a number of initiative designed to rid the country of homosexuals. Parliament also demanded that the Interior Ministry stop granting any residence permits to foreign homosexuals. MP's have called for a study into how widespread homosexuality is in Bahrain.

Bahrain is known as one of the more tolerant Muslim nations in the Middle East, and has recently undergone a period of political liberalization. However, homosexuality remains a crime, and the government has periodically deported expatriates living in the nation for their sexual orientation. The country only held its first elections in 2002, and since then politicians have mainly addressed themselves to "moral" issues such as banning female mannequins from shop windows and tackling the widespread problem of "sorcery."

The bi-cameral parliament is dominated by Shia and Sunni Islamist parties. MP Shaikh Mohammed Khalid Mohammed said that people were complaining about homosexuals entering the country. The ministers have called for homosexuals to be 'rooted out' of hair salons and massage parlours: "Those people are either from the Philippines or Thailand and they come for these two jobs, which they use as a curtain for their homosexual behaviour and immorality."

Shockingly, the proposal will instruct teachers to look out for homosexual tendencies in children and to 'punish them accordingly.' Homosexuality has been considered illegal in Bahrain since 1956 when, as part of the British Empire, it was given the Indian Penal Code. Homosexuals can be given up to 10 years in prison though this is rarely put into practice. In 2002 the government allegedly deported 2,000 gay Filipino workers for homosexual activity and prostitution

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8513.html

July 28, 2008

6
Bahraini MP calls for gay crackdown to begin

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A set of proposals approved by Bahrain's parliament targeting homosexual activity in the country should be implemented, according to a politician in the Gulf state. Brotherhood MP Shaikh Mohammed Khalid Mohammed wants the government to begin a number of initiatives designed to rid the country of gay people. In April parliament demanded that the Interior Ministry stop granting any residence permits to foreign homosexuals.

Bahrain is known as one of the more tolerant Muslim nations in the Middle East, and has recently undergone a period of political liberalisation. However, homosexuality remains a crime, and the government has periodically deported expatriates living in the nation because of their sexual orientation. The country only held its first elections in 2002, and since then politicians have mainly addressed themselves to "moral" issues such as banning female mannequins from shop windows and tackling the widespread problem of "sorcery."

The bicameral parliament is dominated by Shia and Sunni Islamist parties. The ministers have called for homosexuals to be 'rooted out' of hair salons and massage parlours: The proposals will see teachers on the look out for homosexual tendencies in children and 'punishing them accordingly.' Homosexuality has been considered illegal in Bahrain since 1956 when, as part of the British Empire, it was given the Indian Penal Code. Homosexuals can be given up to 10 years in prison though this is rarely put into practice.

In 2002 the government deported 2,000 allegedly gay Filipino workers for homosexual activity and prostitution.

From GlobalGayz.com

July 2008

7
Gay Life in Bahrain - an interview

GlobalGayz Interview with a gay businessman John (name changed)) from UK living in Bahrain

GlobalGayz:
Tell me your impressions of gay Bahrain so far.

John:
Bahrain is quite interesting as it is probably the most liberal of the Arab states. It's close to Saudi Arabia (where gays and others have what we would perceive to be a really hard time because of their strict adherance to Islam); we are actually joined by a causeway. As a result of this strictness, we get a flood of Saudi's coming over at the weekend to escape this lifestyle they have there. They come for the weekend---arrive Wednesday night for the Saudi Thursday/Friday weekend. (UAE and BAH now use Friday/Saturday weekend, for business reasons). The roads get full of cars from Saudi (easily spotted with their plates in Arabic only) with drivers who are often somewhat under the weather and to be steered clear of. (Even sober they are notoriously bad drivers!) The local prostitutes - mainly Thai or Philippine girls - do a roaring trade. Many Saudis have week-end homes here.

As far as the gay scene is concerned here, we have a bar in Manama in the Gulf Gate Hotel which is gay friendly and on a Thursday night (kind of like Friday night in the west) a regular crowd goes there. There is the usual Philipino resident band that you hear in so many bars in this region playing a selection of rock and pop songs. You can see many of the guys dancing together (this is not that unusual in any bar where you have a band playing) and there is also the occasional karaoke type performance with the band. If you want to get up and sing, they will generally encourage it.

It is also an absolute fact that gay middle-aged European guys are often very popular in the place with many younger Arab and Indian guys. I always find this very hard to believe but it is a real ego trip being for me, a 48 year old, somewhat overweight white guy strolling into this place and being hit on by a number of highly desirable (well, in some cases) young guys. It's a bit of a standing joke here with my one Indian friend, who is early 30's and keeps himself in great shape that yours truly is so popular there (along with similar guys) whilst he gets very little action from the place!

Let's face it, we Europeans are a small community—scarcity increases value, eh?! Just as you get an influx of Saudi straight guys you also get likewise with the gays, many wearing their dish dashes, some in western dress. There are some local Arabs who are in it looking for cash, but there are many locals and Saudi's who are just looking to get laid. (as well as being the most liberal of the GCC states, Bahrain is also one of the least wealthy.

Generally speaking, Bahraini guys who are in relationships will still live at home and stay over at their lover's places only occasionally, although they may visit much more regularly. The apparent popularity of European guys is is not to say that some Arab guys are not into each other or guys of similar age. I just happen to know of a good number of guys in their 20's or early 30's who favour more mature guys.

One friend of mine, little bodybuilder type, with whom I had a couple of dates, before choosing my partner, said to me he hangs around with his gay mates, generally Arab for company and seeks out the likes of me for sex or relationship. He would not dream of having an encounter with a black or Indian or Asian guy. Maybe an older Arab. This is fairly typical, but there are obviously exceptions.

GG:
That's very insightful, especially for folks who've never been to UAE/Bahrain and might think the Arabs are sexless. How does a gay person live elsewise, during the day? If he/she has a b/f? Totally closeted? Is he/she expected to get married? What happens if one is outed? And lesbians? Do the authorities leave the bar at Gulf Gate Hotel alone? Busts or harassment? Bribes to police? Other gathering places?

John:
The Arabs sexless?? Anything but. There are some really horny Arabs out there - for sure. LOL!. It reminds me of a date I had with an Arab guy in Abu Dhabi. Meeting for the frist time, we were on our mobiles looking out for one another in a shopping mall, when we eventually made visual contact. This guy was about 28. He was dressed in his dish dash and by the time he walked over to me had a very visible erection (dish dashes are like kilts - nothing worn underneath ) - it was like playing tents! It makes me chuckle everytime I think about it! I saw one guy who was passing by give him a very odd look.

Anyway, It was nice to feel wanted! The local gay guys whom I know - that is, the Bahraini's - all tend to live at home and are extremely closeted. As I said, they will only stay out occasionally, even if they are in a relationship. I think some of the "foreign" (not GCC) Arabs, (I have met guys from Algeria, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Tunisia and Lebanon), are here to get away from the constraints of living a lie. There is a HUGE amount of pressure from the family to get married. I had an affair with a local guy, and he was under constant pressure and hid behind his having an inherited illness as an excuse to his family. Others just avoid the issue of marriage with their families as much as they can.

My little bodybuilder pal that I was referring to earlier on wears earrings, one diamond stud in each ear - very stylish actually - and when I saw him recently he was all a bit tense because he had gone home and forgotten to take them out and had been noticed by his Mother or who saw his 'decadant' western dress.

I would have said that the average Muslim guy here has a good deal more respect for (fear of?) his parents than the average American or Brit. Having said that, the guys are extremely closeted at home, when they are out many are quite brazen, I guess would be the way to describe it--openly kissing in public and feeling bums, etc, when they are together at the bar. They'll be a bit more toned down in other places.

I am not much into the gay scene here but I have not heard of any trouble at Gulf Gate. There are stories from UAE of busts from time to time. The main gay bar in Dubai was a place called Jules Bar which I tried to go to only once; that was with an African friend Barry. They would not let him in because he had a sleeveless T-shirt on. I glanced inside to see the crowd and Barry was a damn sight smarter that most of the people inside, many of whom were wearing scruffy T-shirts. I leave you to draw your own conclusions.

My current partner is Don is an Indian Christian. The main reason he is here is to escape the pressure to get the right girl, being pressured by his mother. He is quite often taken for being Arab but sometimes still feels a bit vulnerable when walking into certain bars. He was 23 when I met him over a year and a half ago, so is still a bit young I guess. A good number of the Arab guys I have met have been married and they screw around with gay abandon and as regularly as they can from what I can tell.

GG:
Are you a white Anglo? Where are you from? And why are you in Bahrain?
More questions:
1 Do I suppose correctly there are gay couples who live together in Bahrain if they are quite rich-powerful and can insulate themselves from the 'common folk' and/if their parents are deceased and/if they are strong-confident enough to stand up against gossip or family pressure?
2 As for lesbians. can you inquire please? They have to be there and I'm curious how they arrange their secret love lives.
3 Have there been any busts or arrests of LGBT folks there?
4 Any trans folks around? That's a weird issue since women are covered head to toe no one could tell if it was a woman or trans under the burka/veil !!
5 I presume there is no informal/furtive gay 'organization' in Bahrain? And the idea of being an activist is remote? Are there any bold leaders who have tried to organize there even though it's illegal?
6 Also I read "the government deported 2,000 gay Filipino workers for alleged homosexual activity and prostitution." Is there any gay social/romantic mixing of the different cultures or are the Asian foreigners looked down on? They have their own venues?
7 And I read the Gulf Daily News has printed articles that touch upon gay subjects. Have you seen these?

John:
I am from UK originally, white, late 40's, 2 kids, divorced. I am in construction. All the couples I know are non-Bahraini. As I said, the Bahraini's that I know all still live at home, and put up with the pressure of their parents trying to find them a nice girl. I will make some enquiries about the lesbians, but like I said, Don and I keep pretty much to ourselves. I have never met anyone at all here who I would consider to be a real activist type. As expats who rely on the hospitality of their adopted country I think that very few people would be prepared to jeopardize their livelihood for gay rights.

GG:
Most of our friends are long-term couples. I guess it depends on which circle of friends one hangs out with... like tends to attract like. Living in the Middle East is, romantically, a starvation diet so I can appreciate your comment. Perhaps try living back in London and you will see a different picture. Even there long term couples tend to be 'older' (in 40's-60's) quieter and less visible and less publicized since the media are so youth oriented... but we are everywhere. But surely there is a scattering of sincere committed LGB couples there as well. I'd love to interview some of them.

John:
I guess the profile of the community here is fundamentally different. That is, many of the expats are transient. Many are in the diplomatic corps or working for multi nationals or just here for a few years to get some kind of financial base by working in the Middle East before returning from whence they came. I knew a couple here who left for Canada, one guy was European the other a very fair skinned East African, age 48 and 40 respectively. They left for Canada together a few months ago but have been together for 5 years. But, here's the rub, I can't report on any Bahraini couples. I must make enquiries. They have to be out there (no pun intended) somewhere. I do know a couple in the Emirates, who have been together for a while. The one guy is Emarati and mid 30's and his partner Syrian and pushing 60. The youinger guy was married and his wife died leaving him 3 young boys. They spend evenings together before he has to return home to be there when the kids wake up. It must be tough.

Don and I met online on the ubiquitous Gaydar, so it does work sometimes. In most other Arab states it is blocked, so it is remarkable how many profiles for, say UAE there are! Being in Bahrain we have little or no internet restrictions so I can log onto www.bigdicks.com if I want to whereas in most other Arab countries this would be far more difficult.
(There are ways around the restrictions: my mate in Abu Dhabi happily surfed the net there, but he did this through some proxy or other).

GG:
Do you and Don go to gay-friendly venues on occasion--and is there discrimination against him as an Asian?

John:
I told you about the Gulf Gate which is the main gay friendly venue. I was out last night at the British Club, with Don and an Indian friend, an architect/interior designer aged about 35. Don and I go there regularly. We went last night for a meal with our friend who does not go there much at all. His comment was if the boys from Gulf Gate came here they'd love it, referring to all the middle aged Brits who inhabit the place. I would have to say there is occasionally some prejudice against Indians and or African here.

GG:
If you were to date or take an Arab for a lover I wonder what his friends would say? Would they be hostile, catty, welcoming, subversive? Given the high desirability of middle age westerners, on the surface, would the Arab really welcome him into his life as a partner or just as a social bauble to play with or to impress his peers? My experience is that we westerners are mostly viewed as money machines and/or exotic toys.

John:
When I first arrived in Abu Dhabi I met a guy called Ahmed. (who still keeps in touch via sms.) He invited me over to his house at Ramadan for "Majilis" and I was introduced as a friend. His wife and the other women were nowhere to be seen as the guys sat in their lounge on floor cushions and ate and drank. No alcohol, of course. All the people at the majilis made me feel absolutely welcome.This is the only occasion I can recall where I have been introduced to family like that. My ex-bf here used to invite me over to his place, especially when I had a pal of mine staying over at my place, but he always went ahead to make sure his mother was not around; she was not to be seen and would take herself into her bed room or whatever as I went through into my friends room.
You get some guys who see you as a money Machine. Ahmed who I referred to before used to wine and dine me, which having just arrived from Africa was a change, and, as I was to find out over the next months, not at all unusual.

GG:
I presume most Arabs are not circumcised, and are they known generally to be much 'endowed'? And I wonder if they are as 'free and versatile' as we are in bed? Are they at ease with their homosexual play? Or stuck in the dominant power top position? Are you and Don versatile? How does Don's culture influence his sexuality/activity?

John: On the contrary, all the Arab guys I have met are Muslim and circumcised. I do know one Christian Arab guy from Syria who is not. All the Arabs I have met come in the usual array of shapes and sizes but I would not have said I have not met any as blessed as some of our black brothers, but there have been some big boys. There are a lot of these guys who are totally selfish in bed. I have generally been bottom for that type (I am versatile). Some just get their nut off and them just leave you high and dry. LOL! I met one guy called Majdi who was so nice but the worst in bed. That is not to say that there are not some guys there that are really hot! Don is the main top in our relationship and I think almost totally uninhibited. Being Christian he's uncircumcised too. He claimed never to have bottomed for anyone before me, but seems to enjoy it now.

GG: Well this has been an insightful and honest exchange with you and I very much appreciate your candor. I hope this brings some light into the 'secrets' of Bahraini gay sexuality—if not at least the sexuality of expats within Bahrain culture. Now please find me a lesbian to interview, but I won't hold my breath.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9360.html

October 22, 2008

8
Bahrain MP calls for action against homosexuals

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The new session of Parliament in the Gulf state of Bahrain began this week with calls for a crackdown on gays. Al Menbar MP Shaikh Mohammed Khalid Mohammed wants the government to begin a number of initiatives designed to rid the country of gay people. "We have homosexual rates on the rise, with such people working in flower shops, massage parlours or barber's salons," he said. "Sluts walk around residential neighbourhoods untouched."

In April Parliament demanded that the Interior Ministry stop granting any residence permits to foreign homosexuals. Bahrain is known as one of the more tolerant Muslim nations in the Middle East, and has recently undergone a period of political liberalisation. However, homosexuality remains a crime, and the government has periodically deported expatriates because of their sexual orientation. Bahrain only held its first elections in 2002, and since then politicians have mainly addressed themselves to "moral" issues such as banning female mannequins from shop windows and tackling the widespread problem of "sorcery."

The bicameral parliament is dominated by Shia and Sunni Islamist parties. Homosexuality has been considered illegal in Bahrain since 1956 when, as part of the British Empire, it was given the Indian Penal Code. Homosexuals can be given up to 10 years in prison though this is rarely put into practice. In 2002 the government deported 2,000 allegedly gay Filipino workers for homosexual activity and prostitution.