Saudi Arabia - GlobalGayz

Saudi Arabia is the world’s leading petroleum exporter. Oil accounts for more than 90 percent of exports and nearly 75 percent of government revenues, facilitating the creation of a welfare state, which the government has found difficult to fund during periods of low oil prices. Saudi Arabia is often called one of two Energy superpowers (the other is Russia). LGBT rights in Saudi Arabia are not recognized. Homosexuality and cross-dressing are widely seen as immoral acts and are treated as serious crimes deserving of stoning, whipping, prison or execution. In recent decades there have been reports of an underground LGBT community. While the kingdom has faced criticism from human rights organizations, it insists that it is always acting in accordance with Sunni Islamic morality, particularly its Wahhabi influences. No same-sex marriage, domestic partnership or civil union has any legal standing in the nation and may be used as evidence to initiate criminal proceedings. Also see: Islam and Homosexuality

Name: Saudi Arabia

Population: 27602000

Capital: Riyadh - Pop. 426000

Area: 2149690 sq. km/ sq. miles

Language: Arabic

Religion: Muslim- Wahhabi

Status of Homosexuality: Highly illegal

Telephone Country Code: 966

GlobalGayz
»
Middle East
»
Saudi Arabia

Stories

News & Reports

Photo Galleries

Saudi authorities seize rainbow toys in crackdown on homosexuality, 2022/Jun/15

Saudi Arabia: Halt imminent execution of young man, 2021/Jun/08

10 Months In Jail For Supporting LGBT+ Rights, 2020/Jul/28

Gay Syrian recounts two-year long sexual abuse ordeal when he was 13, 2018/Sep/19

Saudi police arrest everyone involved in Mecca ‘gay wedding’ after video goes viral, 2018/Jan/10

Police kill two people for wearing women’s clothes in Saudi Arabia, 2017/Mar/01

Transgender Saudi man speaks out publicly for first time to help others, 2016/Dec/01

Everything you need to know about being gay in Muslim countries, 2016/Jun/21

Top Saudi cleric: Homosexuals should not be punished, 2016/May/03

‘A Sinner in Mecca’ documents gay Muslim pilgrimage, 2015/Aug/31

Saudi Arabia busts two gay parties, 2015/Jun/14

Saudis Behead Four For Drug Possession & Persecute ‘Gay’ And Businesswoman, 2014/Sep/30

Jail, 450 lashes for Saudi man who used Twitter to befriend gay men, 2014/Jul/25

LGBTQ Communities in the Arab World Face Unique Digital Threats, 2014/May/18

Politics of a Queer, 2013/May/23

Saudi journalist arrested for ‘gay party’, 2013/Mar/28

Repression, homophobia and transgender policies in Iran, 2013/Mar/27

Saudi Arabia bans ‘gays, tom-boys’ from schools, 2012/Apr/16

Twitter may censor LGBT tweets across the Middle East, 2012/Jan/27

Man arrested for Facebook gay date in Saudi Arabia, 2012/Jan/13

Kenyan men trafficked as sex slaves to Gulf states, 2011/Dec/20

Gay Saudi Arabia News & Reports 2011, 2011/Apr/04

Gay Saudi Diplomat Seeks U.S. Asylum, 2010/Sep/14

Gay Saudi Arabia News & Reports 2006-10, 2010/Jun/10

Gay Saudi Arabia News & Reports 2000-05, 2009/Jan/01

The Kingdom in the Closet, 2007/May/01