Are gays safe in dubai

A kiss, a hug or holding hands — acts of fondness by same sex couples in public have always been out of the question in the United Arab Emirates. Behind closed doors, it has been a different affair for members of the international LGBTQ community. Information on the website Travelgay.

LGBTQ+ Visitor Considerations

Dubai-based lawyer Matthew, originally from the UK, found that though there were no official gay clubs, "they're usually known through social media or word of mouth, although they're never advertised [as gay clubs]," he told the website in an anonymous interview. In Matthew's experience, staying under the radar has worked out for the LGTBQ community since "the Emirates are very private, and respect of that privacy is paramount.

All of this is despite are gays safe in dubai fact that the UAE's penal code lays out punishments for "any flagrant indecent act. All of this is why much of the international LGBTQ community trusted that, as long as they kept a low profile, they could rely on authorities turning a blind eye.

Whether that can continue remains to be seen. Saudi Arabia banned rainbow-coloured products earlier this month, Lebanon saw the authorities take action against events during Pride Month and Qatar, now in the spotlight because it is hosting the upcoming World Cup in soccerhas been caught up in a debate about rainbow flags and how to host queer couples in local hotels.

One of the most recent moves was by the UAE's Ministry of Education which approved an updated code of conduct for education professionals during the first week of September. One of the tenets in the new framework explicitly prohibits "discussing gender identity, homosexuality or any other behavior deemed unacceptable to the UAE's society" in class.

Undoubtedly this will affect foreigners in the country who work as English language teachers. It is the first time, the code of conduct has used such language and DW asked the Ministry of Education as to whether this was part of a new crackdown on the LGBTQ community, but had not recieved an answer at the time of writing.

According to the latest update of the global equality index, Equaldex, the UAE is ranked at 5 out of pointswith zero points being the worst. And he isn't hopeful that this will change any time soon. Anti-gay sentiments remain high and I haven't seen any data that shows the sentiments are improving.

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