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Egypt 'escalates LGBT crackdown' after rainbow flag display

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41482001


Egyptian authorities have arrested at least 22 people in the past four days as part of a campaign against LGBT people, Amnesty International says. Thirty-two men and one woman have now been detained since rainbow flags were displayed at a pop concert in Cairo last month, according to activists. Anal examinations have been reportedly carried out on five of those arrested. :lolwut:

The flag-raising provoked a public outcry and prompted the public prosecutor to order an investigation.

Homosexuality is not explicitly criminalised under Egyptian law, but the authorities routinely arrest people suspected of engaging in consensual homosexual conduct on charges of "debauchery", "immorality" or "blasphemy".
Original post by Ninja Squirrel
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41482001


Egyptian authorities have arrested at least 22 people in the past four days as part of a campaign against LGBT people, Amnesty International says. Thirty-two men and one woman have now been detained since rainbow flags were displayed at a pop concert in Cairo last month, according to activists. Anal examinations have been reportedly carried out on five of those arrested. :lolwut:

The flag-raising provoked a public outcry and prompted the public prosecutor to order an investigation.

Homosexuality is not explicitly criminalised under Egyptian law, but the authorities routinely arrest people suspected of engaging in consensual homosexual conduct on charges of "debauchery", "immorality" or "blasphemy".


Disappointing that life is like this in this day and age.
Original post by Ninja Squirrel

Egyptian authorities have arrested at least 22 people in the past four days as part of a campaign against LGBT people, Amnesty International says. Thirty-two men and one woman have now been detained since rainbow flags were displayed at a pop concert in Cairo last month, according to activists. Anal examinations have been reportedly carried out on five of those arrested.


Here we go again. The most homophobic societies are often mired in a sort of nauseating male prison sexuality.

For example, in Saudi Arabia because the sexes are completely segregated, heterosexual men end up behaving very strangely; if they aren't engaged in full-on hardcore male/male sex, they certainly engage in strange horseplay with their mates which probably verges on the sexual (anyone who has served in the armed forces before women were allowed in probably knows what I'm talking about).

These anal examinations are all part of the unhealthy and twisted sexuality that results from extreme backwardness, homophobia and segregation of male and female sexes.
Reply 3
Anal examinations wtf, so the police stuck their hands in there? Disgusting
Original post by Trapz99
Anal examinations wtf, so the police stuck their hands in there? Disgusting


This is typical Middle Eastern law enforcement behaviour when it comes to LGBT people.

There are many reports of LGBT people in the Middle East being arrested for "degeneracy" then being raped by the police. That's insane but sadly very common in the unhealthy sexual culture of that part of the world. The segregation of the sexes and intense homophobia creates a very strange mindset.

Also, many parts of the Middle East actually still subscribe to the sexual mindset of antiquity where as long as someone is the penetrating partner, then they are still a 'man' and the penetrated partner is disgraced. In a society where heterosexual men often have little access to women until they are married in their late 20s, male/male sexual behaviour is rife.
Original post by Kevin De Bruyne
Disappointing that life is like this in this day and age.


Strongly seconded. Horrific that things like this are still occurring.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by AlexanderHam
This is typical Middle Eastern law enforcement behaviour when it comes to LGBT people.

There are many reports of LGBT people in the Middle East being arrested for "degeneracy" then being raped by the police. That's insane but sadly very common in the unhealthy sexual culture of that part of the world. The segregation of the sexes and intense homophobia creates a very strange mindset.

Also, many parts of the Middle East actually still subscribe to the sexual mindset of antiquity where as long as someone is the penetrating partner, then they are still a 'man' and the penetrated partner is disgraced. In a society where heterosexual men often have little access to women until they are married in their late 20s, male/male sexual behaviour is rife.


Not all countries in the Middle East law enforcement behaviour like the Egypt toward LGBT people. If you took a trip to Israel or even parts of Beirut in Lebanon you find gay bar, night club, coffee shop. In Israel gay people have the same rights as everybody else.
Original post by looloo2134
Not all countries in the Middle East law enforcement behaviour like the Egypt toward LGBT people. If you took a trip to Israel or even parts of Beirut in Lebanon you find gay bar, night club, coffee shop. In Israel gay people have the same rights as everybody else.


I have been to Israel, three times in fact. I've been to Tel Aviv Pride twice.

I was using 'Middle East' in a loose, colloquial sense to mean the Islamic countries of that part of the world.

By the way, there's no same-sex marriage in Israel. And Lebanon is hardly progressive when it comes to gay rights. It's true that there are some bars in Beirut that are gay-friendly, and the more upper-middle class and westernised/wealthy Lebanese can be pretty chill about homosexuality, but there are no full-on gay clubs (like Heaven or Arq) in Beirut.

Many gay people in Lebanon don't come out to their families due to the intense heteronormative character of Lebanese society, and there are parts of the country where it is still dangerous to be gay (particularly in the south.... you wouldn't want to be out and proud in the Bekaa Valley, and even in progressive Beirut you probably wouldn't want to kiss your partner in public, even at the American University campus)

In summary, the Middle East as a whole is quite backward on gay rights. Israel is an exception to that, and there are pockets of tolerance even in countries like Iran (mainly in the wealthy, westernised upper-middle class). But as a whole the region is very gay unfriendly
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 8
if people are gay, lesbian etc. then they should keep it to themselves, they knew of the cosequences when they went public.
Original post by AlexanderHam
I have been to Israel, three times in fact. I've been to Tel Aviv Pride twice.

I was using 'Middle East' in a loose, colloquial sense to mean the Islamic countries of that part of the world.

By the way, there's no same-sex marriage in Israel. And Lebanon is hardly progressive when it comes to gay rights. It's true that there are some bars in Beirut that are gay-friendly, and the more upper-middle class and westernised/wealthy Lebanese can be pretty chill about homosexuality, but there are no full-on gay clubs (like Heaven or Arq) in Beirut.

Many gay people in Lebanon don't come out to their families due to the intense heteronormative character of Lebanese society, and there are parts of the country where it is still dangerous to be gay (particularly in the south.... you wouldn't want to be out and proud in the Bekaa Valley, and even in progressive Beirut you probably wouldn't want to kiss your partner in public, even at the American University campus)

In summary, the Middle East as a whole is quite backward on gay rights. Israel is an exception to that, and there are pockets of tolerance even in countries like Iran (mainly in the wealthy, westernised upper-middle class). But as a whole the region is very gay unfriendly


This may be stretching the "Middle East" a bit here, but from what I've gathered Northern Cyprus has become quite a bit more LGBT-friendly in recent years - decriminalisation a few years ago, Lefkosa (Northern Nicosia) has started having yearly Pride parades in May, and there are now a couple of smaller parliamentary parties who advocate legalising same-sex marriage. So basically where US red states were ~10 years ago, by the sounds of things.
Original post by anarchism101
This may be stretching the "Middle East" a bit here, but from what I've gathered Northern Cyprus has become quite a bit more LGBT-friendly in recent years - decriminalisation a few years ago, Lefkosa (Northern Nicosia) has started having yearly Pride parades in May, and there are now a couple of smaller parliamentary parties who advocate legalising same-sex marriage. So basically where US red states were ~10 years ago, by the sounds of things.


That's really interesting; it sounds like they're ahead of where Turkey is culturally.

I wonder if it's the mix of Greek / European influences on the culture? I mean, Greece itself still has a ways to go, but is probably more advanced than Turkey.
Original post by AlexanderHam
That's really interesting; it sounds like they're ahead of where Turkey is culturally.

I wonder if it's the mix of Greek / European influences on the culture? I mean, Greece itself still has a ways to go, but is probably more advanced than Turkey.


Actually, from what I gather (admittedly, can't say I know much) if anything it's kind the opposite. Southern (i.e. Greek) Cyprus hasn't been much better until recently (gay sex was criminalised until about 2000, homosexuality still classed as mental illness and still banned for soldiers, etc). Northern Cyprus has precious few sources of international legitimacy, and desperately want EU goodwill, so making an effort on gay rights seemed like a way to try and win some.

Also, this is just a guess, but young European tourists coming for beaches and bars is a pretty big part of their economy, and so I can imagine that excluding the sizable LGBT section of that demographic would just be pointlessly losing money.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by AlexanderHam
I have been to Israel, three times in fact. I've been to Tel Aviv Pride twice.

I was using 'Middle East' in a loose, colloquial sense to mean the Islamic countries of that part of the world.

By the way, there's no same-sex marriage in Israel. And Lebanon is hardly progressive when it comes to gay rights. It's true that there are some bars in Beirut that are gay-friendly, and the more upper-middle class and westernised/wealthy Lebanese can be pretty chill about homosexuality, but there are no full-on gay clubs (like Heaven or Arq) in Beirut.

Many gay people in Lebanon don't come out to their families due to the intense heteronormative character of Lebanese society, and there are parts of the country where it is still dangerous to be gay (particularly in the south.... you wouldn't want to be out and proud in the Bekaa Valley, and even in progressive Beirut you probably wouldn't want to kiss your partner in public, even at the American University campus)

In summary, the Middle East as a whole is quite backward on gay rights. Israel is an exception to that, and there are pockets of tolerance even in countries like Iran (mainly in the wealthy, westernised upper-middle class). But as a whole the region is very gay unfriendly


Israel the only places were people are legal allowed to get married is in license religion institutions. Couples who are gay, atheists or Muslim and Jew marry aboard and their married is accepted under Israeli law.

Married law is taken very seriously in Israel because there is the problems of forced marriage, child marriage and polygamous marriages. In some groups such as India Jews there been the problem of child marriage and with Arab Muslims their sometime been forced and child married. Some Christian groups have polygamous marriages.
Deeply saddening. It's a shame the West often aligns itself with regimes complicit in bigotry and hatred.
Original post by Ninja Squirrel
Anal examinations have been reportedly carried out on five of those arrested. :lolwut:


Wtf are these Egyptian lads trying to find there?
Original post by Retired_Messiah
Wtf are these Egyptian lads trying to find there?


Looking for signs of penetration probably :rolleyes:
I saw the stories about this, too. Truly horrible what is being done, truly and totally out of bounds. And the "examinations" to me, are nothing short of rape and a crime against humanity.

Original post by Ninja Squirrel
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41482001


Egyptian authorities have arrested at least 22 people in the past four days as part of a campaign against LGBT people, Amnesty International says. Thirty-two men and one woman have now been detained since rainbow flags were displayed at a pop concert in Cairo last month, according to activists. Anal examinations have been reportedly carried out on five of those arrested. :lolwut:

The flag-raising provoked a public outcry and prompted the public prosecutor to order an investigation.

Homosexuality is not explicitly criminalised under Egyptian law, but the authorities routinely arrest people suspected of engaging in consensual homosexual conduct on charges of "debauchery", "immorality" or "blasphemy".

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