Study Abroad

[alifjiim]

Have any of you studied abroad/lived/stayed extensively in a foreign country where homosexuality is forbidden? Will you share your experiences? I want to study abroad in an Arabic-speaking country, particularly Egypt, but, uh...I'm wondering how many issues I'm going to have as a queer American woman over there.

Comments

[calif_troweller]

I spent an entire semester working in rural Sudan, a country that is under Sharia law. I mean, alcohol possession is punishable by 40 lashes, to say nothing of homosexuality. And then I spent a summer backpacking through India, where homosexuality is illegal

[fabfemmeboy]

Very well-put. While openly declaring your sexuality in a place where it's illegal to be gay is probably ill-advised, it's important to note that queerness clues vary SO much across even Western cultures that my gaydar gets thrown off when I go to Europe, let alone going somewhere like Cairo. In parts of Africa, it's common for men to walk down the street holding hands as a sign of great friendship and brotherhood; here, that's usually a sign that they're dating. I think you'd be more likely to have problems for being an (assumeably) assertive Western woman than you would for your queerness, unless you do something stupid like make out with a girl on a street corner.

[calif_troweller]

Yeah, totally. I was in India with my extremely gay friend and we'd see these young men walking down the street with their arms around each other's waists and we'd both be doing double takes.

Once again OP, chances are they'll never even suspect.

[tisoi]

I've been to, uh, Texas in the mid 1990s. Does that count? ;-P

[sooverthetop]

A few countries outlaw male homosexuality, but completely ignore female homosexuality. Even if homosexuality is legal there I don't recommend disclosing your sexuality unless you are really, really sure you can trust them.

My Wikipediafu says that Egypt doesn't have laws directly outlawing homosexuality, but there are these things called "morals laws" that have been used against gay people in the past.

If you're looking into studying in the Middle East, you should check out Bahrain. I've heard it's more liberal, and homosexuality is legal there (I think. two Wikipedia pages are conflicting). Oh, and its Arabic-Speaking.

[anarchys_savior]

A friend of mine went to Morocco for a while. She's queer and you can tell if you know what you're looking for. She said she didn't have any problems and that as long as you're respectful of the culture, you'll be fine. People will recognize that you're foreign and won't hold you to the same moral standard that they hold themselves to. I would never want to be in a country where my sexuality could land me in prison, but if it's something you want to do, I don't think it should be a major obstacle. Have fun and be safe!

[tko_ak]

I have a friend who is a member who spent time in Syria and Yemen. I'll link him to this post, and hope he can be a resource for you.

Good luck, if this is the route you decide to take.

[homais]

See, I'm alive and everything. I even check my email!