Oh Robyn. You and I don't seem to be in line on anything on these forums! :-)

Yes, I'm gay and Jewish-raised (now atheist)--but that hasn't stopped me from having fabulous travel to Indonesia (Java, Lombok, Moyo), Jordan, Egypt, Mozambique, etc. We had booked our trip to Moscow for last October before the anti-gay laws were passed, and we went anyway--and took photos kissing in front of St. Basil's Cathedral in our own form of protest...with nary a reaction or comment.

We are adventurers, and we like to experience other cultures and see other places. We expect we will have no problems in Istanbul, much as we've had no problems in Cairo, Amman, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, etc. Most Muslims we've met have been incredibly friendly, a little curious, and usually end up asking questions once they felt comfortable with us. Those who weren't never bothered us--nor would we likely allow that to happen. I'm a fairly bad-a** type of guy. :-)

I often say that people get what they give. I assume the best from the people we meet in our travels, and that's usually what we experience.

FYI, we are avoiding Uganda in December when we go gorilla trekking, choosing instead to stay in Rwanda--lest you think we really are crazy. :-)