Is dubai gay friendly
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Last updated: 17 December 2024
Types of criminalisation
- Criminalises LGBT people
- Criminalises sexual activity between males
- Criminalises sexual activity between females
- Criminalises the gender expression of transgender people
- Imposes the death penalty
Summary
Same-sex sexual activity is prohibited under the Criminal Codes of the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, which criminalises ‘unnatural sex with another person’, and Dubai, which criminalises acts of ‘sodomy’. The Federal Penal Code criminalises ‘voluntary debasement’, but it is not obvious what acts this covers. These provisions carry a maximum penalty of fourteen years’ imprisonment. Both men and women are criminalised under the law. Queer sexual activity may also be penalised under Sharia law, under which the death penalty is doable, though there is no evidence that this has been used against LGBT people.
In addition to potentially being captured by laws that criminalise same-sex action, trans people may also face prosecution under the Federal Penal Code 1987, which crimina
We recently saw that Dubai is due to keep a conference on Queer rights and to state we were shocked would be an understatement.
We haven’t yet travelled to Dubai as a gay couple, partly because we are apprehensive to…
To investigate further we connected with Liam, a gay guy who lived in Dubai for most of his being to learn more about the reality of entity gay in Dubai and find out what suggestion he had for same-sex attracted travellers thinking about going.
We always believe it’s key to give people a voice and to contribute stories of genuinely living in a country as an LGBTQ+ person.
Read our interview with Liam below to learn more about gay life and homosexual travel in Dubai:
Gay Experience in Dubai & Counsel for Gay Travel
Meet Liam
Sion: Hi Liam, please provide some background on yourself and your time living in Dubai to acquire us started.
Liam: Hi, my name is Liam and I was born in 1993 in the UK however in the preliminary 90’s my family started working in the Middle East. In 1999 they decided to move to Dubai and have been there ever since.
I lived in Dubai from age 5 to 18 when I moved to Leeds for University and since then normally visit Dubai 2-3 times a year.
G
How can a sense of belonging be forged in a setting where one’s existence is forbidden? That is the question that LSE’s Dr Centner and his co-author Harvard’s Manoel Pereira Neto explore in their groundbreaking research into Dubai’s expatriate gay men’s nightlife.
But it was not an easy topic to research. Dr Centner explains: “It's an illegal, or criminalised, identity and arrange of behaviours and practices, so in a very general sense, it's a taboo. And taboo subjects are very often under-researched, sometimes because people possess a hard time gaining access, gaining that faith, but also because, even if people gain that access, there could be significant repercussions for themselves as researchers, or for the people who are the research participants.
“As two queer researchers, we were able to enter the worlds of relatively privileged Western gay expatriates. Secrecy is often the norm, but the field was familiar to us, through previous visits and explore projects.”
These were indeed ‘parties’ ...[but] not bars identified as gay. Not a single venue’s webpage uses the word ‘gay’ or related euphemisms, nor accomplish they hint at targeting
Exploring LGBTQ+ Travel Safety in Dubai
When it comes to traveling as a member of the LGBTQ+ people, it is important to do your research beforehand to ensure that the destination you're planning on visiting is safe and welcoming.
Dubai, located in the Merged Arab Emirates (UAE) is a very popular and trendy travel destination with its iconic landmarks and luxurious hotels that resembles a futuristic Las Vegas resort. But what about its stance on LGBTQ+ rights?
The difference between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the UAE
Dubai is established for its more relaxed attitude when compared to other cities in the United Arab Emirates, such as Abu Dhabi. This new touristy city is striving to foster an image of being socially progressive in order to attract as many visitors from the west as possible. However let's not be fooled, it is still operating under the archaic anti LGBT laws of the UAE.
Dubai's Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws
Although Dubai has recently taken steps to change into more progressive, loosening laws on alcohol, marriage, and sexual harassment in direct to put growing western travelers at ease, it is still part of the UAE as a country.
But the fact remains that homosexuality is il
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