In 2005, Mohammed bin Nukhaira Al Dhahiri, Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Auqaf (Endowments) was reported as saying: “There will be no room for homosexual and queer acts in the UAE. Our society does not accept queer behaviour, either in word or in action”.

Public attitudes towards homosexuality and gender identity reflect traditional Muslim values. Under Islamic law liwat, homosexual acts between men and musahaqa, and homosexual acts between women are criminalized.

Articles in local news that discuss the “worrying trend” of homosexuality and cross-dressing “boyat” (tomboys, cross-dressing women and transsexuals) in schools show that LGBTI Emiratis are distrusted on a cultural as well as a religious level: homosexuals are seen as either delinquents or weak corrupted victims. In 2011, authorities initiated a campaign to highlight the illegality of boyat. The director of the criminal awareness department in Dubai stated that warnings needed to be set for such activities with clear punishments put in place.

Homosexual desire is believed to result from a physical or mental health problem for which “treatment” is strongly encouraged. At times, the government has subjected persons to compulsory psychological treatment for homosexual activity. According to Human Rights Watch and the UN Human Rights Council, doctors have been known to administer torturous forensic anal exams to “prove” male suspects’ homosexuality.

In 2012, UAE filmmakers produced a “gay-cure” video in Arabic in which two straight men teach their gay friend to be more masculine. The director stated that it was intended to be a “simple and funny way to show how gays can be changed to men”. The video was met with mixed responses in the UAE. UAE rights activists who spoke out against it did not wish to be named. The video was subsequently removed and an article about the removal of the video was retweeted by influential figures within the UAE.

Homosexual and transgender “suspects” are often arrested on accusations of prostitution, particularly since there seems to be a high demand for transgender sex workers in the country.

No published cases pertaining to refugees have been found. We would be grateful if users of this website could refer us to any asylum cases of LGBTI persons fleeing the UAE.

The US Department of State’s Human Rights Report on the UAE 2018 states that ‘there were no reports of arrests or prosectuions for consensual same-sex activity.’

History of conviction within the UAE:

2020 – The first gay romantic comedy in Bollywood was reportedly banned in the UAE.

2017 – Police detained two Singaporeans in a shopping mall. One was a cisgender male photographer and the other a trans woman. They were sentenced to one year in prison ‘for attempting to resemble women.’ After spending three weeks in custody they were deported.

2013 – Two men were sentenced to three years in prison for posting photos of cross-dressing and offering sexual services. They were entrapped by police officers posing as clients.

2012 – Authorities sentenced a Belgian man to one year in prison and deportation for a consensual same-sex sexual relationship with a Filipino, who accused his partner of attempted murder. On August 28, the Dubai Court of Appeal reduced the sentence to six months.

2011 – A transgender waiter faced deportation after a sixth month prison sentence in 2011. He was convicted of “crossing dressing” and “enticing men to sin”.

A transgender woman was refused entry to the Emirates.

2008 – Police arrested 17 tourists for “homosexual behaviour” though they did not specify what this behaviour constituted.

2007 – Authorities threatened to charge 15 year old male victim of gang rape with homosexual acts. Eventually, the perpetrators were sentenced when it was disclosed that one of the men was HIV positive.

2005 – 26 men were arrested for attending a “gay wedding party”. Eleven were imprisoned for 6 years. All were “encouraged” to accept hormone treatment in exchange for a shorter sentence.