Gay Life Thrives, Quietly, in Saudi Arabia

Gay Life Thrives, Quietly, in Saudi Arabia

Gay life is flourishing in Saudi Arabia, despite the country’s puritanical laws. The kingdom’s adherence to sharia, or Islamic law, as its sole legal code largely impedes socializing between men and women. Nadya Labi reports in the May issue of the Atlantic (subscription required) that such strict separation in many ways has made it easier to be gay than straight in a society that forbids all sexual activity outside of marriage.

Sodomy remains punishable by death in the kingdom, which maintains long lists of prohibitions — against smoking, drinking or going to discos. In many homes, families won’t allow a man to be alone with an unrelated woman, but that standard doesn’t apply to companions of the same sex. For some Saudis, the strict limits on gender-mixing have made homosexual relationships a safer or more accessible option, as long as the behavior is kept private. Consequently, cities like Riyadh and Jeddah have emerged as centers of gay life in the Middle East. As it has elsewhere, the Internet has provided a convenient way for people to connect privately — Web access has grown tenfold in the kingdom since 2000.

While the West associates homosexual behavior with sexual orientation, the Middle East traditionally hasn’t — homosexual behavior often is regarded as an act, not an orientation. Many people who act on sexual urges don’t consider themselves gay, and others dismiss past homosexual behavior in their lives as part of growing up. Even the 18th century religious scholar who founded Wahhabism, the fundamentalist form of Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia, drew a distinction between homosexual desire and homosexual acts. Today, gays in Saudi Arabia operate under something akin to a Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell shield — parents who suspect their children are homosexual say nothing, rather than risk any shame that knowledge of the truth might bring.

Still, in a country where nearly everyone — gay and straight — lives a highly restricted life, gay rights aren’t a subject of discussion. Western gay pride advocacy is seen as “too much a masquerade for attention,” says one gay Saudi man. “Women’s rights, gay rights — why? Get your rights without being too loud.” – Nick Timiraos

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