I’m in the US and a few weeks ago a young transwoman named Eden was kidnapped off the street by some goons that her father, a Saudi businessman, hired to bring her back to the kingdom. The goons forced her to detransition and she ended up committing suicide. Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia, but the charge calls for four witnesses to make a case. Arrests by the religious police are far more arbitrary.
In a recent case they apprehended one man at a Jeddah shopping mall, suspecting he was gay from his tight jeans and fitted shirt. Sodomy is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, but gay life flourishes there. Why it is “easier to be gay than straight” in a society where everyone, homosexual and otherwise, lives in the closet.
Let’s be clear: Saudi Arabia still criminalizes same-sex relationships, and public LGBTQ+ expression remains illegal. However, since the religious police's powers have been disbanded over the last decade, and the country opened up to tourism under Vision , the atmosphere has shifted, especially for visitors. Anyone in Saudi Arabia faces pressure, coercion and even execution for being gay.
Children are forced to attend Islamic schools, memorize the Quran and act in traditionally assigned gender roles, reinforcing gender violence.
The provision has its origins in Islamic law, with Saudi Arabia operating an uncodified criminal code based upon Sharia principles. It is not known under what law they were arrested, and whether they were prosecuted. In April, Saudi Arabia announced it had executed 37 men. Dr Centner emphasises that Dubai is keen to project an image of being more socially liberal than the rest of UAE, as well as the rest of the Gulf:.
Secrecy is often the norm, but the field was familiar to us, through previous visits and research projects. In my four years in Saudi Arabia, I personally was propositioned on the street by three men and by many of my students. Sign up to receive our newsletter: a bi-monthly digest of the latest social science research articles, podcasts and videos from LSE.
Last updated: 17 December However, there are occasional events where the most privileged enjoy an extraordinary amount of freedom. If you are not a premium subscriber, please subscribe for access to all of our content. We want to be sure you know how and why we use your data. Types of criminalisation Criminalises LGBT people Criminalises sexual activity between males Criminalises sexual activity between females Criminalises the gender expression of trans people Imposes the death penalty.
And typically they did not observe same-sex physical contact, not even friendly gestures. Yemen criminalises same-sex sexual activity between men and between women. I knew of several Westerners who were in gay relationships with Saudi men, and two active gay male circles. The US Department of State report found that, although the death penalty is a possibility for same-sex sexual activity, prosecutors did not seek to impose this punishment during the year.
In February , Saudi police arrested 35 Pakistani citizens, some of whom were transgender women. Share Save. It transpires that all information about the parties is by word of mouth or WhatsApp group chats with other expatriates.
I agree to the privacy policy. The maximum penalty under the law is the death penalty. Most were single and had attended university in North America or Europe. Make a monthly donation by subscription. New global report on the criminalisation of trans and gender diverse people. Under this framework, sex outside marriage is illegal. They had been arrested and their case referred to prosecutors, it added.
The gender expression of trans people is also criminalised.
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