Introduction The Middle East in the 21st century is a boiling cauldron of political and social change. Rebellions and revolutions have taken down long ruling dictators and corrupt governments. But the transition to Arab democracy is fraught with conflicting issues, mainly how to define and integrate the new democracy with the deep influence of Islam in the various cultures. In this swirling flow of human events, homosexual individuals are not sure where they will land, on their feet with tolerance or further marginalized to the fringes of society. One gay man’s response has been to abandon his native Syria and its current upheaval state and live in Turkey where he finds support from the LGBT community but still leaves him a man without a country. GlobalGayz interviewed him in Istanbul in April 2012. Adad the Man: in Search of a Home Adad is a gay Syrian man, 34 years

Introduction: The following story was sent to GlobalGayz by a thoughtful and intelligent Yemeni gay man who was willing to share his observations and feelings about gay life in his country.   Also see: Gay Life in Yemen   By Ahmed “Most of the time, I can’t be myself or talk about myself to anyone.” This story is not a cheerful one for a gay person but the writer seems to be strong and wise and able to manage some satisfaction in his daily living, thanks in no small part to LGBT friends he has found online. His personal and cultural observations are valuable for others trying to understand gay life in Muslim-and-family-dominated Yemen.   About Me, Ahmed I am a gay adult in 21st century Yemen: I am a Muslim who is homosexual. I’ve known that since I was 16 years old. I am not out, which means I

Syria in 2011-12 is in upheaval, rebellion and civil war with hundreds of thousands of ‘rebels’ battling against government military forces to end the dictatorial repressive regime of the ruling Assad family. The land itself is beautiful with historic Roman ruins and peaceful valleys. In the market souks of Aleppo and villages life continues as it has for hundreds of years.   Posted Homs Governorate, Syria.

Lebanon is known for its unique efforts in the Middle East to guarantee civil rights and freedom to its citizens, ranking first in the Middle East and 26th worldwide (out of 66 countries) in the The World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index 2011. Due to its tightly regulated financial system and the highest gold reserve in the Middle East, Lebanese banks largely avoided the financial crisis of 2007–2010. In 2009, despite a global recession, Lebanon enjoyed 9% economic growth and hosted the largest number of tourists in its history. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon)   Posted Bekaa, Lebanon.

Bahrain has a reputation as a relatively liberal and modern Persian Gulf. The government  has encouraged tourism development which is a significant source of income. Despite a recent period of political liberalization including some changes in the criminal code, in 2011 during the ‘Arab Spring’ major protests against government policies led to massive street protests. The law is silent on private, non-commercial sexual acts between consenting adults. The law therefore allows homosexuality and it is not criminalized in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Traditional religious mores view homosexuality and cross-dressing as signs of immorality, which may impact how the legal system deals with LGBT-rights. Law enforcement agents and the courts have broad discretionary powers to issue fines and or jail time for any activities deemed to be in violation of traditional morality.   Posted Al-Muhafazah Al-Janobiyah, Bahrain.

Kuwait is a constitutional emirate with a parliamentary system of government, with Kuwait City serving as the country’s political and economic capital. The country has the world’s fifth largest oil reserves. It is the eleventh richest country in the world per capita. In 2007, it had the highest human development index (HDI) in the Arab world. Despite its wealth and high standard of education, living openly as a homosexual carries dire consequences. In recent years, Kuwait has become more aware about homosexuality. The subject has been addressed more than once on television. Preachers condemn it as a big sin.   Posted Al Jahra Governorate, Kuwait.

Saudi Arabia is a complex, mysterious, fundamentalist country with much wealth from vast oil fields. It boasts the most modern standards for the middle and upper classes. However the form of Islam practiced there is backward and repressive that does not allow much personal freedom of expression, especially for women. Salafism, also known as Wahabbism is a fiercely puritanical strain of Islam that gained prominence with the rulers of the Arabian peninsula. When the modern kingdom was established, Salafism became the only brand of Islam espoused by the government. Under the strict legal system gay people live with danger of imprisonment or execution if caught with a same-sex partner, even in the privacy of a home.      Posted Al-Quwayʿiyah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

By Moussa Dailyvoiceofreason.com 13 Jan 2012 This is an article by Moussa, a Lebanese young man of 19 who speaks from his own experience of coming out and how life gets much better once we own our sexuality and accept one another. The world we live in can seem like an absolutely terrible place. Worse yet, a part of it, which includes everything you do and everyone you know, seems to be even worse. Despite this, and despite the fact that I don’t know your name, haven’t seen your face, and don’t know more about you, I can say with confidence that it gets better. I noticed that I was gay as a young child around the age of 7. Being brought up in Lebanon, I was in a society that wasn’t accepting and quite frankly, I didn’t know exactly what I was. Years went by and when I hit

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven states situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf. The seven states, termed emirates, are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. Dubai is the most well known due to its progressive financial policies and daring architecture. There are harsh and discriminatory laws that condemn homosexuality and promote homophobia in the name of religion. A native or foreigner must consider the risks of being out or obvious..   Posted Aliso Viejo, California, United States.

Palestine is both a historic settled culture and a territory in transition and conflict. Situated at a strategic location between Egypt, Syria and Arabia, and the birthplace of the Judaism and Christianity, the region has a long and tumultuous history as a crossroads for religion, culture, commerce, and politics. The region has been controlled by numerous different peoples, including Ancient Egyptians, Canaanites, Ancient Israelites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Ancient Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, the Sunni Arab Caliphate, the Shia Fatimid Caliphate, Crusaders, Ayyubids, Mameluks, Ottomans, the British and modern Israelis and Palestinians. Modern archaeologists and historians of the region refer to their field of study as Syro-Palestinian archaeology. (Wikipedia)    Posted Laguna Beach, California, United States.

Qatar has been ruled as an absolute monarchy by the Al Thani family since the mid-19th century. Formerly a British protectorate noted mainly for pearling, it became independent in 1971, and has become one of the region\’s wealthiest states due to its enormous oil and natural gas revenues. In 1995, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani became Emir when he seized power from his father, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, in a peaceful coup d\’état.  The most important positions in Qatar are held by the members of the Al Thani family, or close confidants of the al-Thani family. Beginning in 1992, Qatar has built intimate military ties with the United States, and is now the location of U.S. Central Command’s Forward Headquarters and the Combined Air Operations Center. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar)      Posted Laguna Beach, California, United States.

By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com January 2012 Photos, News & Reports for Gay Qatar Much like other small Gulf States in the Arabian peninsula finding recent and in-depth stories about gay life is not easy. The biggest public kerfluffle about homosexuality in Qatar in recent years has not concerned any gay executions, witch hunts, persecution or demands for gay marriage. Rather, in December 2010 the football/soccer World Cup association (FIFA) awarded to Qatar the playoffs in 2022. Completely overlooking the social impact of such a huge international event in such a tiny Islamic place as Qatar FIFA got itself into hot water from human rights organizations as well as gay rights associations. The disruptive issue was homosexuality. Thousands of football fans are LGBT –many from the ‘liberal’ West– will enter Qatar for the game finals. Very few are prepared to suddenly surrender their sexual identity and stop being gay for a

Oman is a quiet prosperous, modern and progressive Arab sultanate where life has settled into a quiet place in the Middle East. Little is heard of it in the modern world except as a peaceful land of rugged beauty and friendly people. It is ruled by a benevolent Sultan who since his reign began in 1970 has brought the country into the modern era with increased education, health care, business enterprise a moderate form of Islam, which quietly tolerates a closeted gay community. Prior to 1975 the country was distressed with internal tribal warfare. In the 18th century the Omani Sultanate territories stretched all the way from Pakistan to Tanzania.    Posted Laguna Beach, California, United States.

By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com January 2012 Photos, News & Reports for Gay Oman Information and insight about LGBT life in Oman is neither plentiful nor scarce. GlobalGayz has not yet been to Oman so we have been researching the internet for some inside ideas and experiences. What is noticeable is that the lengthier commentaries posted online come from expats who live or have lived in Oman for several years. This is understandable since few Omani LGBT people–none really–are willing to be public about their love life or gender of desire. Expats, on the other hand, risk little in disclosing their sexual identity since the West is far more accepting of ‘lifestyle variations’. The worst that can happen is to be deported from Oman, unless a crime has been committed. Two important observations can be made about being homosexual in Oman. One is that homosexuality is forbidden with potential imprisonment as

Yemen has a land area of 555,000 square kilometers and a population of approximately 24 million (2010). Its capital and largest city is Sana’a. Yemen’s territory includes over 200 islands, the largest of which is Socotra, about 415 km to the south of mainland Yemen, off the coast of Somalia. It is the only state in the Arabian Peninsula to have a purely republican form of government. Homosexuality is illegal and the official laws are severe. But there is an underground LGBT community which keeps silent and hidden, especially since February and March 2011: an uprising against the government began, and clashes with police and pro-government supporters have steadily intensified. Many people have been killed in trying to oust President Saleh from his 32-year rule. Posted Laguna Beach, California, United States.

Introduction: It’s difficult to write an informed and useful report about something unseen and unheard. In Yemen, homosexuality is both because no one is willing to speak or write about it in public or in the media, despite the inevitable presence of a gay underground that is kept well hidden from the scrutiny of the morality thugs and violent authorities. Also see: A Gay Yemeni–One Man’s Story of Life and Destiny Photos, News & Reports for Gay Yemen   Finding Gay Life is a Challenge In more than a decade of recording thousands of news and reports about LGBT life around the world, GlobalGayz has only found eight reports about homosexuality in Yemen. Five of these eight are responses (four against, one in favor) to the single issue of gay marriage. Two other stories tell about journalists being arrested for writing about homosexuality and a magazine being shut down for

Introduction Very little LGBT news comes out of the Emirates gulf states because it is such a closeted culture, but the recent removal of an anti-gay video from YouTube, made in the United Arab Emirates, has evoked some dialogue around lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in the Emirates. In this report, Dan Littauer  of Gay Middle East, interviews two gay men from the Emirates about their public and private experiences and feelings as they seek a “Gay Life in UAE”. This is followed by another story ‘Detained in Dubai’ that was written in 2010 by an unnamed author using detainedindubai.org as their identity. The purpose of the report is to warn gay visitors of the risks of being caught by police for illegal behavior: “enjoying the underground scene doesn’t come without serious risks. There have been a few widespread reports regarding the condemnation and punishment of homosexual behavior in

Introduction by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com Photos, News & Reports for Gay Kuwait Cultural changes come about very slowly for gays in the Muslim Middle East. This story appeared several years ago in the Kuwait News; it is an unusual story since homosexuality is rarely discussed publicly, let alone published in a newspaper. (However this is an English language paper so relatively few locals would see it.) Not much has changed since this story posted in 2007. The vast majority of gay-oriented citizens follow society’s rules and get married, others find excuses not to marry (business, religion) and a lucky few find their way to the West where they can live more freely. But most only ever come out to a trusted friend or friends. Here, Bader, a young gay man bravely talks to journalist Hussain Al-Qatari in private about his life and feelings about being gay in modern Kuwait. by

Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com August 15, 2009 Regarding the point made in the previous blog post about the New York Times story on party-time gay males in Lebanon, a more realistic portrait of gay Lebanon was drawn by a lesbian in the book ‘Bareed Mistas3jil’ published by Meem . (2009; P43) I think this worried description (below) is what a close investigation of the inside lives of most LGBT Lebanese would discover. Unfortunately this furtive lesbian population is difficult to access by a foreign journalist who visits Lebanon – or any country – on a short visit. Unless there are deep and trusted connections, Muslim gays – especially lesbians – do not offer their lives for examination. Even the women who complied the stories and edited the book did not at first have an easy time finding willing people to share their stories. It took three years to finish the project,

Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com August 5, 2009 Stories, Photos, News & Reports for Gay Lebanon This is a rebuttal to the New York Times story about gay Beirut published Sunday August 2, 2009 entitled ‘Provincetown of the Middle East’. Regarding Patrick Healy’s long story about Beirut being the Provincetown of the Middle East, I was impressed by the three-full-page spread in a travel section of only 12 pages. But I was not impressed by the misleading impression he offered of Beirut being a ‘gay oasis’. True, there are some gay-friendly bars and discos scattered in and around the city where people can let their hair down but that is a far cry from the pervasive gay life that infuses Provincetown. Healy’s theme story is about a BearArabia party–half an hour drive from Beirut. But this verbal portrait is a distance from the truth. “Inching out” is far more an apt description

An Interview with Jasmin – a Shi’a and Gay Man An extended and updated version of an interview done on GayCityNews by Dan Littauer Gay Middle East.com Editor April 4, 2011 As the tiny Persian Gulf archipelago kingdom of Bahrain enters its second month of widespread protests — with clashes on March 13 resulting in more than 1,000 being hospitalized and news that the government has brought in troops from neighbouring Saudi Arabia — a young gay Bahraini blogger offers insight into the sources of discontent there as well as alternative visions the demonstrators harbor. In a series of email exchanges, Jasim (not his real name), a 24-year-old man who identifies as both Shi’a and gay, reflected on the economic inequalities at the root of Bahraini discontent — conditions that, fuelled as well by the events in Tunisia and Egypt, have overwhelmed the traditional ruling elites’ effort to divide the

Introduction A recent report from the website GayMiddle East offers an update about “Gay Life in Syria”, somewhat positive but with ever-present changes in the political milieu that has historically repressed gay citizens. Privately, however, this hidden population adapts to the changes and continues on with life in the closet even as there are improved its treatment of its LGBT citizens, as compared to 2003-2007. What follows here is a short description of the reality of LGBT communities then briefly discuss attitude of the government to HIV/AIDS and detect current trends and development.  From: Gay Middle East June 23, 2010 The Reality of LGBT Communities GME (Gay Middle East) was pleased to discern a more positive recent trend in Syria toward LGBT people yet disappointed with the recent turn of events.  In the last few months Syria has begun to clamp down on gay men; is this an apparent reversal

First in a Four-Part Series From: Gay City News, New York By Michael T. Luongo September 15, 2010 What had only been lines on a map, forbidden and dangerous, were places that had come alive, places that I could now see with my own eyes. I was in Baghdad in mid-2009 for my second time. The post-surge trip introduced me to places I had only heard of in stories — what then seemed like fables — told to me by Ali Hili, the director of Iraqi LGBT, a London-based human rights group working with gay men in Iraq, and by other gay men I had met in Baghdad two years earlier. Ali told of walking the reedy banks of the Tigris in Baghdad, a place he said, where gay men laughed, cruised, and picnicked together in the days before the US invasion changed everything. The recent horrors reported out of

Second in a Four-Part Series From: Gay City News, New York By Michael T. Luongo September 29, 2010 There were bullet holes across his chest when I found him in the room. They were merely a decoration on his black T-shirt, tight against his broad shoulders and puffy biceps. He reminded me of a “Sopranos” character, with the fake bullet holes surrounding the word Mafia. He was only 25, but his gelled hair was thinning, a soul patch adorning a scruffy face. He seemed afraid to look directly at me, tight-gripped hands wringing, his nervousness compounded by the time he was left alone to think as he awaited my tardy arrival. An improvised explosive device, or IED, was found near my hotel, and I was nearly an hour late. We met in the Baghdad office of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, a coalition run by Yanar Mohammed, who

Third in a Four-Part Series From: Gay City News, New York By Michael T. Luongo September 29, 2010 Hassan mistakenly thought I had a sexual fetish about Saddam Hussein. I made an offhand comment about Iraqi policemen’s 1970s San Francisco clone moustaches — the kind sported by the dictator. Hassan held one hand up high, clenched in a tight fist, suggesting the dead ruler’s iron will, and shouted, “I find you man with a moustache, and big and hairy like Saddam, but gay, so you could have sex with him.” I didn’t expect humor to be mixed into a mission that could be the death of us. Hassan is a point man in Baghdad for Iraqi LGBT, a London-based human rights group working with gay men in Iraq, and he, several other men, and I were heading to a safe house run by the group. They told me that as