Apologies if some of this sounds a bit stupid, but I am honestly interested in knowing what I should do in these circumstances and don't really have a clue. Some of the countries I would be really interested in visiting (mainly in North Africa and the Middle East) unfortunately class homosexual acts as a crime. Daft as it sounds, would I be okay if I just simply didn't mention the fact I was gay? I wouldn't be going to these places as a gay tourist in any case, and I'm "straight acting" on any day of the week. And if I were to get a boyfriend somewhere down the line and he came with me, what would we have to do? Pretend to just be friends going on holiday together and not do anything risky (i.e. being affectionate in public, sharing a double bed, having sex)?
I would be more cautious than usual. It's better than being less cautious. It's not gonna be like "oh, it's okay you didn't know" it's gonna be "you're gay, GET THE F**K out!!!" type of attitude. But I believe that it says that being gay is not a crime. Now if you made out with the said cute guy in public, then that WOULD BE a problem. I'm not sure...but if it were me, I'd definitely wouldn't do any sexual activity there. My ass would be thrown in prison.
I've been to several countries in the Middle East, and it's common there to see local men holding hands, but I'm not sure about how the locals would view a pair of foreign men doing the same. I suppose the safest way to travel with a same-sex partner is to make sure never to make PDA or identify as a gay couple.
Went to Morocco this year and didn't think much about it. Obviously I wasn't affectionate to anyone though and no different to anyone else. You're right though, just be a bit more cautious; agree with the things you suggested
Is it homosexuality itself that's illegal, or homosexual acts? Needless to say, you'll probably want to stay away from anything sexual with other men, just to be on the safe side. It's hard to say as someone who knows little about this topic, but I'd also introduce any boyfriend as just a 'friend' and keep the PDA private.
I went to Singapore during winter break of 2012-13. (FYI for some, Singapore is located in the Equator and very close to Southeast Asia. It's known for it's cleanliness.) This year was the year when I started to come out to a lot of people. However, Singapore is a country where gay guys are persecuted and put in jail for a couple of years (Lesbians aren't persecuted.... lucky you). Just keep your sexuality hidden. Yes, it's like going back in the closet again, but it's for your own good this time unlike the US and the UK.
Thank god that I have no intrest in visiting anywhere but Japan, Hawaii, and London.... Please tell me that homosexuality isn't illegal in those places.
My parents just booked a family trip for us to go Malaysia. If I had the choice I would not go. I love their unique culture and food, but the Islamic influence is way too much in policies and government.
I don't see any problem in visiting a country with certain homophobic policies and laws. Unless you are very outward with your sexuality or act in a stereotypical manner, I see no worries going by yourself or with family. The only things I would recommend not doing is verbally stating you are gay and not participating in public acts of affection towards another man. Also if you do have a partner in the future just come across as friends on vacation, only be affectionate in privacy. As 'meh' as that sounds it is for the better, you don't want a "Brokedown Palace" situation on your hands. Treat a country's laws with respect as you would a friend's house rules.
you should try your best to hide it and not attract to much attention also, if youre interested, there is a bbc video of a gay journalist going to uganda to know what its like there for gay people, he ends up saying he is gay to a politician and barely escapes trouble with them if im not mistaken, but its a really interesting, and revolting, video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV0tS6G8NNU
Some people on here tend to have a bit of an ethnocentric view when it comes to this. It's important to realise that in many countries where homosexuality is still a massive taboo, many people don't even know what it is to identity as a gay person and rather just think of it as straight people engaging in gay sex, and nor are they exposed to gay stereotypes. So if you're a flamboyant guy, it's not actually that likely to be picked up upon. It's more likely that it'll be put down to you being and looking like a foreigner rather than you looking gay. Behaviour differences are often put down because of culture first and foremost, and as such there is some degree of tolerance. Homosexuality can also be seen as a Western influence, which could mean that any behaviour differences are almost excused: it's amongst the 'locals' that the concern lies and the persecution is going to happen, not amongst rich tourists. And please don't go saying 'I don't want to visit a country that discriminates against gays' as if it makes the people whose livelihood you'd be sustaining inherently terrible people. It's just the way that people have grown up. I'm not saying that you shouldn't take the usual precautions (which can apply almost as much to straight people, in some places), but the paranoia in a similar thread here was ridiculous. ---------- Post added 14th May 2013 at 03:23 PM ---------- (and I can't claim to speak for everywhere; awareness of a gay identity seems quite rife in the Uganda documentary) lol.
