Doha:
A group of Arab friends living in Doha, the capital of Qatar, met over cocktails and snacks last week. They exchanged opinions while browsing profiles of gay men on dating apps Tinder and Grindr.
One’s phone flashed with a message from a suitor around the corner. The man in his twenties jumped up from the table and left to meet his date in person.
The friends, who met days before the World Cup kicks off in Qatar on Sunday, are part of a gay scene in Doha that manages to stay under the radar in a country where same-sex relationships are illegal and punishable by maximum three years. of imprisonment.
“We socialize together. We go out to dinner. We go to parties. We go to the beach,” said another gay man from the West, who has lived in the wealthy country for more than a decade. “We don’t kiss our boyfriends in public or wave rainbow flags, but we certainly don’t lower our voices.”
Reuters spoke to four gay men in Doha – the Westerner, two Qataris plus an Arab from elsewhere in the region – who said they lived in the country, a magnet for foreign workers, as they had well-paid jobs there, plus friends or family there .
All four spoke on condition of anonymity due to concerns over potential punishment from authorities. But they said they could live their lives to some extent by meeting potential partners at private parties or through dating apps that are usually blocked in Qatar and accessed through a VPN.
“It’s not all suffering,” said a 30-year-old gay Arab man who has lived and worked in Doha for nearly 10 years.
In fact, the four expressed concern over the wave of international criticism over gay rights in Qatar that the World Cup triggered, fearing they could lose the freedoms they enjoy if the opprobrium sparked a public backlash against the LGBT+ community once global attention shifts. .
“What about us, who have lived in Doha for years and have made Doha strange?” said the Arab man. “What happens when the World Cup is over? Does the focus on rights stop?”
These men present just one snapshot of gay life in the Gulf state – and the four recognize that their relative freedoms are a product of privilege; they can afford to live alone, throw parties and meet partners in high-end restaurants or nightclubs, where the strict rules of Qatari society are often more relaxed.
That is not the case for everyone.
Other members of Qatar’s LGBT community have reported being detained, some as late as September, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said. The group also accused authorities of ordering some transgender women to attend conversion therapy.
A Qatari official criticized the HRW report for containing false information, saying the country does not license and operate any conversion centers.
Nas Mohamed, a gay doctor from Qatar who has lived in the United States for about a decade, welcomed the attention the tournament has drawn to Qatar’s record, saying it prompted him to speak out broadly about his sexuality .
“If you’re an LGBT person (in Qatar) and don’t get a chance to be your full authentic self, you just lose your self-esteem,” Mohamed told Reuters this month at a clinic he operates in San Francisco.
Other groups, including Amnesty International, have also criticized Qatar for its discrimination against the LGBT community.
A Qatari official said the country “does not tolerate discrimination against anyone, and our policies and procedures are underpinned by a commitment to human rights for all”.
No displays of affection
Qatar, a rich gas-producing country, attracts workers from all over the region and around the world. Qatari nationals make up just 380,000 of the country’s 2.9 million population, with the rest being foreign workers ranging from low-income construction workers to powerful executives.
The four men interviewed by Reuters said there were strong financial and career incentives to live in the country, adding that life was better for gay people there than in some other places in the Middle East.
They cited Saudi Arabia and Iran, where men have been sentenced to death for being gay.
“If you’re an expat, you can live your life the way you want,” said the 30-year-old Arab man. “At the same time, I know I can live like this because I’m privileged. I know that gays in labor camps couldn’t live the same way.”
Qatari World Cup organizers have warned visitors against public displays of affection, but say everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or background, is welcome at the event.
During the tournament, doctors will not ask patients about their extramarital sex, religion or any other status, said Yousef Al Maslamani, the spokesman for FIFA World Cup health care.
In the 12 years since Qatar was named host of the 2022 tournament, the country has come under increasing scrutiny over its record on workers, women and the LGBT community.
The furor was fueled by comments from public figures, including former Qatar player and World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman, who told a German broadcaster that homosexuality was “damage to the mind”.
“Qatar and FIFA had more than a decade to implement basic protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, but failed to do so,” said Rasha Younes, LGBT+ researcher at Human Rights Watch.
In 2020, Qatar assured potential visitors that the kingdom will welcome LGBT visitors and that fans will be free to raise the rainbow flag at the games. But it raised the question: What about the rights of Qatar’s LGBT residents? “
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)
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