Tag: Dubai gay rights

Homosexuality…its a sin…how dare you even talk about it!

Over the past few years, along with the development of the country, another hidden aspect of almost every other society is flourishing in Dubai. It seems to me that each year this subculture gets larger, bolder and more evident. A few years back it was so secretive and concealed that it was virtually non-existent to… Read more »

British man sentenced for ‘touching man’s hip’ finally back home

A Scottish man who was jailed in Dubai for touching another man’s hip has returned home after a long ordeal. Jamie Harron, a 27-year-old electrician from Stirling, Scotland, was sentenced to months in prison for public indecency after he touched another man in a bar, apparently to avoid spilling a drink. The alleged incident took… Read more »

The UAE’s position on gay rights is actually surprisingly progressive – and I should know

In Arabic we have no words for ‘gay’ or ‘straight’. But we have over 200 words for love, and we have gender neutral terms too. I prefer not to call myself ‘gay’ in Western terms because I want to decolonise my body Recently, I was asked to defend my support of the UAE and explain why I… Read more »

What’s it like to work in the Middle East as a gay person?

Would you ever consider relocating to the Middle East for work purposes? And is the situation different for gay people who move there as opposed to nationals? Countries in the Middle East are among the worst in the world when it comes to laws relating to LGBTI people. If you’re gay, what might it be… Read more »