Intro: There’s not much insight into gay Jordan on the Internet despite the country being a moderate Muslim country where homosexuality is not vehemently persecuted. Below are some commentaries from members of MiddleEast.com expressing their ideas and opinions about life in Jordan for gay people today. Also see: Islam and Homosexuality Gay Jordan Stories Gay Jordan News and Reports 2002 to present Gay Jordan Photo Gallery From GayTimes.com: Jordan can be considered as one of the more liberal Arab countries. There is no sharia law and unusually homosexuality is not illegal. The gay scene such as it is is low-profile, subdued, and much less visible than that of Israel and Lebanon. Basically, the only gay life you will find is either out door cruising or at the men only hot springs and hammams (traditional baths). We understand that in Amman, there is cruising near the Roman Amphitheater at Hashemiya Square

Intro: Two guest authors provide much-needed and updated stories about the presence of male homosexuality in modern Saudi Arabia, without the hysteria and distortions often posted in the media. This is not to say this fundamentalist regime is ‘open’ to gay life but the stories offer a calm observation of sexuality as it happens in real life. Also see: Islam and Homosexuality Gay Saudi Arabia News & Reports 2000 to present (1) By John R Bradley in Jeddah The Independent, London 20 February 2004 http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=493196 (Reprinted without permission) In the glass and marble shopping malls of this cosmopolitan and comparatively laid-back city on the Red Sea, young Saudi Arabian men are taking advantage of the emergence of an increasingly tolerated Western-oriented gay scene. Certain malls are known as cruising areas, and there are even gay-friendly coffee shops. A big gay disco takes place at a private villa in the north

Intro: There’s not much information or insight into gay Jordan on the Internet (see Gay Jordan 2004) despite the country being a moderate Muslim country where homosexuality is not vehemently persecuted. After a weeklong visit to Amman, the capital, there was more understanding of the scene, but not much is observable. Two interviews with native gay Jordanians and a ‘cruise’ around the city provided some insight into the furtive gay ‘community’ in this huge metropolis. (In summer 2007 two new mixed/gay pubs opened in Amman; see a review at Gay Jordan News and Reports #8) Also see: Islam and Homosexuality Gay Jordan Stories Gay Jordan News and Reports 2002 to present Gay Jordan Photo Gallery By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com August 2006 The search for gay Jordan hardly begins on the streets of Amman or Aqaba or any of the very ancient towns in this dry sun-baked country. Like the dust

Sodomy is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, but gay life flourishes there. Why it is “easier to be gay than straight” in a society where everyone, homosexual and otherwise, lives in the closet?   Also see: Islam and Homosexuality Gay Saudi Arabia News & Reports 2000 to present From the Atlantic Monthly http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200705/gay-saudi-arabia (Reproduced without permission) May 2007 by Nadya Labi Yasser, a 26-year-old artist, was taking me on an impromptu tour of his hometown of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on a sweltering September afternoon. The air conditioner of his dusty Honda battled the heat, prayer beads dangled from the rearview mirror, and the smell of the cigarette he’d just smoked wafted toward me as he stopped to show me a barbershop that his friends frequent. Officially, men in Saudi Arabia aren’t allowed to wear their hair long or to display jewelry—such vanities are usually deemed to violate an Islamic

Intro: An intrepid Dutch reporter ventures into the mixed-message country of Lebanon to experience the glitter and fears of gay life in Beirut. During his visit he discovers the fashionable avenues of Gemmayzeh and the tense streets of Dahiyeh (controlled by Hezbollah) yet finding gay life in both. The conclusion is that LGBT life is not widespread or publicly celebrated but is progressing and tolerated thanks to courageous club owners and Helem human rights group. Stories, Photos, News & Reports for Gay Lebanon by Jurriaan Teulings Winq Magazine, Winter 2010 Beirut’s world fame for war is finally being overshadowed by its emerging reputation as the (gay) party capital of the Middle East. This is no news to the Lebanese. no matter what happens, Beirut always bounces back. “Why on earth would you want to go to Dahiyeh?” the woman asked. We met at a brand new, eco-fabulous lunch restaurant owned

Intro: Tal Weisberg-Bloch, a gay activist in Haifa, manned the Gay hotline one night as I talked with him about queer life in Israel. Here in the eye of the Arab middle east, under the guns of enemies, surrounded by Torah-thumping Orthodox Jews, inside a conservative and straight secular society–this ‘out and loud’ gay man was pleased to tell us about the significant gains for homosexuals in Israel over the past ten years. A box inside a box inside a box; yet it appears this smallest and innermost cell, the gay community, is also the most liberated and open minded of all the containers that compete for life in this desert land. Also see: Gay Israel Stories Gay Israel News & Reports 2000 to present Gay Israel Photo Galleries Edited by Richard Ammon September 1997 Rev. June 2005 Stories From Others The following seven news accounts describe some of the

Amman is a vibrant sprawling capital city of about 3 million people. Since the peace accord with Israel in 1994 it has seen steady growth uninterrupted by politcal uncertainty as well as the smooth passage from the beloved King Hussein to his son, King Abdullah in 1999. Amman has all the amenities and advantages of a modern European city yet is decidedly Arab in appearance and sounds. In the center of the city are ancient Roman ruins atop a hill that overlooks an enormous restored amphitheater where concerts and dramatic performances take place. An important aspect of this city’s life are the countless outdoor cafes where men and women gather to smoke, talk and eat with friends–and offer strong-minded opinions about the world and the country. There are some gay-friendly cafes. Read the stories about gay Jordan