dcmike

I swear I've seen threads on this before, but cannot find them now.

Due to work, my partner and I will be separated for a year, and Dubai and Abu Dhabi will be easy placed to meet. Has anyone every had troubles sharing a bed with their partner there?

djjaguar64

You may be arrested and tortured for sharing a bed.

carlosdca

The above is not true in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
Two males sharing a room is not a crime.
Of course don't proclaim that you are gay and in a relationship.
If it is a big chain hotel, it will be very busy just like any other hotel in the world, with people coming in and out all day long and the personnel have little time to figure out who is who, nobody will notice.
Just be discreet.

On another note, if you two want to meet and spend a good time together, why not meet somewhere else? Frankfurt Munich or Amsterdam (big airline hubs that sure connect to wherever your partner is) are much better destinations to meet up.

menghargai

Hi,
My partner Hugh and I stayed in Baity apartment hotel in Dubai near ADCB metro station during September and October this year. There were no problems about us sharing a bed and having visitors. We had a wonderful holiday. You will too.
Best regards,
Philip

GUWonder

.... if caught engaged in what the UAE has categorized as legally restricted activity, then being arrested and physically abused by the authorities is indeed a possibility.

But in the absence of eye witnesses to, and/or explicit evidence of, legally restricted activity, the likelihood of dying in the bathtub is far higher than of being arrested and tortured for sharing a bed in Dubai. But to try to play it extra safe, choosing rooms with separate beds may help.

Personally, I'd be more concerned about my criticism of the political authorities in the UAE or even of those in my own country of citizenship (i.e., the US) giving me problems in the UAE than anything else like sharing a bed with a same-sex or other-sex individual.

dmf_singapore

Just reserve a king sized bed when making the reservation and when checking in, confirm that you have reserved a king bed. I did that with my partner and had zero issues. That's based on my personal experience.

Just keep your romantic activities within the bedroom there will be no problems.

hsmall

I have travelled there (work needs) with my husband and have had no problems in an upmarket hotel, although perhaps out of an excess of prudence we booked a double-double.

I would respectfully advocate that a gay couple could think of a less homophobic country to spend their money in, though

Morland

Just don't touch anyone on the hip:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...ntral-41713718

I've been to Dubai several times for business and met gay people there (professionally) and discussed their life, and the majority of them feel quite comfortable living there and being relatively open about their relationship (albeit to a predominantly expat population).

I do agree with the posts above that, in an upmarket hotel, you are unlikely to have any issues, however there is a risk that if one of you attracts attention for any reason - which could be something simple like being in a car accident - then things could escalate pretty quickly. Based on my personal experience of being in Dubai, and my conversations with gay people living there, I would not travel there with my husband, even though I do not believe I would be at significant personal risk.

(For the record, in the case I linked to above, the suspect was later freed, on the personal decision of the ruler of Dubai, which I would not choose to rely on)

djjaguar64

here is so much beauty in Europe, I'd avoid the Middle East at all costs!

GUWonder

Even in the EU it’s possible to be arrested and detained for touching someone on the hip. It can be considered unlawful assault. That’s not unique to the UAE.

Morland

In the EU (at least the EU countries with which I'm familiar), if the complainant chooses to drop the case, then the case is closed, which did not happen here. Assault is between two people, this man was charged with an indecent act. I don't believe there's anywhere in the EU where touching someone on the hip is regarded as public indecency.

GUWonder

Unlawful assault is an indecent act and may be pursued in the EU even when a victim may not be interested in continuing a case.

Morland

But not public indecency, i.e. an act likely to offend the general public.

In any case, I acknowledged in my first post that many gay people live happy and safe lives in Dubai, and that the OP was unlikely to experience any difficulties there.

But the fact remains that seemingly innocuous acts can lead to severe consequences as in this case.

JVPhoto

I think you've lost the plot. I'm sure you can find a lawyer that would pursue anything. However, I would bet my leg that if you were in a bar in London, Berlin, Glawgow, Barcelona, Zurich, Lyon, Rotterdam, Milan or Antwerp and someone called the police saying they were indecently assaulted by another patron and the "assaulter" and a room full of people explained that you were just trying to pass another person in a crowded bar to keep your balance and get around them...you would not be arrested.

GUWonder

The police and the prosecutor’s office in Sweden and Germany didn’t entirely buy that kind of line always when some “foreign” teenagers and adults tried to claim that was what they were doing when called out for assault in crowded areas.