<p>Hey, so I'm gay and looking to study abroad in the Middle East at some point. As most of you know, gays don't exist in the Middle East (with the exception of Israel, but that's basically Western Europe anyway). Thus, I'm trying to get an idea which of the Middle Eastern countries & cities I have to choose from are the least against the LGBT/ best for me to study in.</p>
<p>I know Israel is the drag queen of the Middle East (for those of you who don't know, Israel is radically pro-LGBT and Tel Aviv was picked as the world's gayest city) and I am probably going to study abroad there and in the West Bank for this one program I may be eligible for during the summer. Long story short: I'll probably do free study abroad in Israel & the West Bank for free during a summer, predominantly at Hebrew University.</p>
<p>At my university, we can either go to Israel, Turkey, or Jordan, when it comes to Middle East study abroad opportunities. If we want to study in Israel, there are millions of options, but since I'll probably go there during a summer, I would prefer one of the other Middle Eastern countries during the school year to study abroad in. The other two places I can choose from are Amman, Jordan and Istanbul, Turkey. (Unfortunately, Beirut, Lebanon is not an option.)</p>
<p>Which one do you think I should study abroad in for a semester (or should I possibly do a semester in both)? Any idea? Thanks for your time!</p>
<p>Gay people in Israel can openly serve in the military and are protected from discrimination by law. Same-sex marriage is not legal, but the Israeli government recognizes marriages performed elsewhere. Tel Aviv is also known for having a large GLBT population.
Personally, as a gay man, I would go to Israel. </p>
<p>Istanbul is a beautiful and historical city however they are not as friendly to LGBT. Israel would likely be the most socially friendly and acceptable.</p>
<p>If you value your safety, Israel is the only country you should spend time in.</p>
<p><a href=“LGBT rights by country or territory - Wikipedia”>LGBT rights by country or territory - Wikipedia; indicates that most of the Middle East other than Israel is LGBT-unfriendly (although to varying degrees).</p>
<p>Would you be studying for a semester or a year? My D (high school junior) has a state department internship in a heavily muslim country in Africa this summer…she has already been told by staff there that they don’t care what her personality or style might be where she lives now…but that when she arrives, she will need to abide by the customs of that country. And if she can’t be comfortable with that, then they can’t support her. Now that i get it that sexuality is a bigger deal than how a person dresses or interacts with others…or where they’re allowed to go out in public or not…but if these countries were of great interest to you…and if you could be very discreet about your personal life…I believe you may have an experience that you would not have wanted to give up. </p>
<p>SouthernHope, I would be studying there for a semester. I would definitely not do a whole year in any Middle Eastern place that is not Israel.</p>
<p>Everyone, here’s the thing: I know Israel is the only place in the Middle East that does not kill gays. I get that. Likewise, I do want to study abroad in Israel, and I’ll probably do that during the summer, or if not study abroad there in the summer there are alternative programs I am connected with that would allow me to visit free for a few weeks. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, I want to be a political scientist with a regional focus on the Middle East, and I just feel like it is therefore important for me to actually get my feet physically wet in the region. I have noticed over the years that the worst professors (usually, but not always) are the ones who live in libraries and never actually go out and live in the place they’re studying. How can I be a successful political scientist who focuses on the Middle East without ever actually having gone to any of the core countries of the Middle East?</p>
<p>@WildcatK, I completely agree w/you regarding the need to spend time in the countries. All of my research is international and my teaching would be entirely different if I did not embed in countries. Nevertheless, some of the countries I hang out in stone women to death for a raft of reasons (and sometimes, for no apparent reason). So how do I, as a woman, survive? @SouthernHope said it best: you abide by the customs of the country. I would add–and that you know what the laws are for various offenses and decide NOT to engage in behaviors that will end you up on the front page of the Times and in need of diplomatic intervention as the latest American who got himself arrested or kidnapped or worse. </p>
<p>If your principal goal is to examine a country as an emerging scholar of political science, then keep that focus. Once you are embedded in a country, you may be able to learn about its underground life and the relative risks you face if you elect to disregard its customs and laws. Recognize, though, that clubs get busted, supposed friends could turn on you, etc. If, however, you’re going to be visiting for only a few weeks, then I think you have your answer. Last time I filled out the forms, no one was required to divulge sexual preferences on visa applications for Jordan or Turkey. Enjoy the sites, sounds, food, and languages while you explore their political terrain and keep safe at all costs. Your career has not even yet begun and you’ve selected a challenging (but remarkable) part of the world in which to work. </p>
<p>Hi laplatinum, thanks for the advice. I’m glad someone else agrees with me on the benefits of studying in the area. The only problem is that it would be for a whole semester in either Istanbul or Amman (the only short option I have is Israel, since I have ways of being able to take classes there or visit there for free). I mean, I know that there’s the option of temporarily going back into the closet while in Turkey or Istanbul - something which would be completely necessary if I visited those places -, but my only concern is whether or not that would be doable for an entire semester.</p>
<p>@WildcatKY, anything is doable for a semester, which is generally around 3.5 months! You know yourself and your capacity better than any and you will know the right thing to do to both keep yourself safe AND sane. 
From my experience, Istanbul is probably preferable in terms of being a bit more generally liberal, but you know what the political situation has been in the country the past several months. Jordan is far more conservative, but Arabic is much more useful to study, if you intend also to study a language whilst there (which I always recommend to students, even if only a brief exposure). Jordan, also, has suffered terribly with all the Syrian refugees, so both nations are in a bit of an upheaval, about which I really do not need to tell you. </p>
<p>You will need to see a number of these countries over time so you can compare and contrast them, but it’s not necessary to do it on some fast track schedule. My oldest DD, wrote her thesis at Oxford University where she read international relations, w/out ever setting foot in Israel–and the legality of the wall was the general topic–but bear in mind she was looking at legal issues. She was able to interview the retired Chief Justice, though, but it was more background than actual legal opinion, etc. </p>
<p>I suggest you view your travel and your work as a lifelong project and begin the focus where you have the greatest interest and connection to your research. I keep adding regions of the world over time as it suits my expanding research agenda and have done so since my doctoral research in the collapsing Soviet Union back in the early 1990s. PM me if you want to talk further about any of your work!</p>
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<p>Based on the linked table, Jordan and Turkey (and the West Bank) do not make same-sex sexual activity illegal, although they also do not have anti-discrimination laws relating to sexual orientation. That may mean that the government may not bother you in a strict legal sense, but may not do anything to stop others from bothering you. Of course, you need to check in more detail, including possible changes or inaccuracies.</p>
<p>Israel itself has no end of politics and social aspects to study (note that a significant minority of the citizen population is Arab). The West Bank is also nearby.</p>
<p>Wow, am I the only one who thinks this should not be a problem? That this discussion is naive? It all depends on how you go about things.</p>
<p>Surely, wildcat, you must know that regardless of legal bans and stated religious norms, there is a thriving gay culture in the mid east, indeed, because of the segregation of women gay sex is perhaps more prevalent than elsewhere. THis is an open secret and anyone with experience of moslem culture knows this. A gay affair would be far easier than a hetero one I would think. Of the male hetero students I know (in Jordan, SYria, and Egypt), not a single one has dated a woman.</p>
<p>My advice to you is to be discreet, not overt. Proceed slowly, find someone who knows the scene and proceed with caution. </p>
<p>Maybe I’m the one who’s naive, but sometimes you have to make choices.
One could say many of our experiences are about making choices between something, and the rewards and consequences of that choice. Your choice is: to visit a country where homosexuality is a dangerous practice and gain that experience while temporarily suppressing your sexuality, going to that country and taking a risk, or not going to that country, but you are the only one who can decide if that’s something you wish to do.</p>
<p>Alcibiade, I understand your logic and see where you are coming from. However, I still believe that life for the LGBT is far worse than the lives of the heterosexuals, in the Middle East.</p>
<p>Pennylane2011, I was starting to think that way.</p>
<p>I think one thing we need to remember is that countries are different from the US and tolerate (or don’t ) different things. Hiding your orientation isn’t something you want to do in the long run, but in a short term situation where it could be dangerous to you, then the logical choice is to stay safe or not put yourself in that position. You are not the only person making a choice to not have a relationship for a while. Consider that a married person could be stationed in the armed forces for months at a time away from his/her spouse. If (s)he values this commitment, then (s)he can’t be involved with anyone else during this time. No matter what our orientation is, there’s a time and place to act on it, and also when not to.<br>
I think we have a lot of freedom in this country, but other countries have their own laws which we have to abide to if we are visitors there. </p>
<p>A semester is such a short period of time that hiding your orientation might be a sensible option, if you can handle it. I wouldn’t suggest living in Iran, for example, but visiting for a semester or a year might be doable.</p>
<p>I spent about 6 months in Amman and there is a small but accessible LGBT population in the city. I would advise you not to tell people in Amman you don’t know very well that you’re gay though. It seems like most people in Jordan don’t have gaydar, so they probably won’t know unless you tell them. There’s a cafe near Rainbow Street that tends to attract members of the LGBT community, for whatever reason. I think Beirut would have been your first choice, although with the recent bombings I wouldn’t recommend traveling there. I don’t know anything about Turkey.</p>
<p>My friends, a lesbian couple, have a straight daughter who just graduated from an international high school in Amman. They and a lesbian family friend attended the graduation. They were treated well and didn’t report having any problems or hiding their sexual orientation even outside the immediate school community, but they’re not prone to PDA any more than other parents in their 50s; they don’t look extremely lesbian but if you have decent gaydar you’d know at least one is lesbian. The parents were somewhat celebrities because the school had never had a student with gay/lesbian parents, lol. The parents didn’t visit when this same daughter spent a summer or semester in Turkey.</p>
In case anyone was wondering, this gay guy has chosen to study abroad in Jerusalem for a semester and then Paris for a semester. I might also be getting funding to go to Jerusalem for a summer program.
I have visited the West Bank briefly before. My plan is to visit Amman and some places in the West Bank like Nazareth and Ramallah, while studying abroad in Jerusalem.