​I lived and worked in Saudi Arabia and Dubai for five years in my early 20s. I am a slim mixed Asian with smooth, fair skin, can't grow facial hair. At first, I was unaware that I was a prime target for local men (including regional expatriates). I had heard stories, but I didn't know I could be harassed so openly in public during the day. ​The moment I landed at Riyadh Airport, I was molested. An immigration officer brought me into a side room, pretending he needed to inspect a flash drive I had. He called in another officer, and they frisked my whole body, grabbing and squeezing me everywhere. I was terrified. After it was over, one of the officers handed me his calling card and told me to call him if I needed assistance.

​Our company liaison officer, Nasser, picked me up at the airport. The moment he saw me, he warned me right away that I shouldn't go out alone. I was confused at first, but I quickly understood why. Before dropping me off at my accommodation, he took me to a well-known local restaurant for dinner. At that time in Saudi Arabia, restaurants had two separate sections: one for single men, and another for families and women. ​After we sat down, Nasser warned me not to make eye contact with locals. Since they typically eat with their hands, I went to the washroom to wash up. I didn't realize a young man in his 20s—much taller and bigger than me—had followed me inside. As soon as I finished washing my hands, he grabbed my shoulders, slammed me against the wall, and started forcibly kissing me. I was petrified. He told me to come with him, but when someone else walked in, he let go, giving me a chance to escape.
​I told Nasser what happened, and we immediately left the restaurant. He then dropped me off at our company villa. He explained that most victims who filed complaints ended up deported or falsely accused of soliciting sex. He even joked that I should wear an abaya or burqa in public like a conservative Arab woman just to hide my features. Imagine—that was only Day 1. I could write a whole book about my experiences in the Middle East.

​I learned the language quickly so I could stay aware of my surroundings. Though I was cornered or target-followed multiple times, I learned how to navigate those situations and eventually got smarter about avoiding them.
​One instance on Tahlia Street in Jeddah was both terrifying and bizarre. I was in a taxi stopped at a red light when a young guy driving a luxury car pulled up next to us. He spotted me and started shouting to get my attention, gesturing for me to roll down the window. I ignored him. When the light turned green and traffic moved toward a flyover bridge, he chased us and cut directly in front of our vehicle.
​Panicking and wanting no part in the conflict, the taxi driver dropped me off on the far side of the bridge. I didn't want to get out, but the young man pulled over too and tried to force me into his car, causing a traffic jam. I broke away, ran, and ducked into a nearby shopping mall. I’ve lost track of how many times I was chased by cars or pursued inside malls. Looking back, it was quite an intense experience.

The Dancing boys of Afghanistan is incredible sad and sadistic. I watched several documentarys here on YouTube about it. Once the dancer turns 18 they're no longer needed because that's considered aged out. It's so crazy to me that a culture that has so many religious laws and constantly speak of god. Find it ok to teach and force small boys to dance,wear woman's clothing and makeup. Then after they perform men buy them for the night and grape them. I don't have issues with adults doing what they WANT to do, but when children are being s01d and abused. Makes me hotter than a firecracker because hurting children is the worst thing a monster can do. I could careless how adults live their lives or who they love,just leave the children out of it.

Their motto: You are not gay if you are top or Im not gay,my boyfriend is !

Thank you for differentiating the huge differences between pedos who prey on children and gay men who are involved with adults of the same gender.

😢 My heart hurts for poor Afghan boys.

I want to thank both you and the host for the strong clarification between LGBTQ & the harming of children for they are not or ever will be the same thing 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️💯💯💯💯

Very informative and important conversation. Not typical of the gay community. No attitude, no shenanigans—just genuine exchange and support. That was truly uplifting. Bravo 🌈

I am a Muslim living in an Arab country, specifically the Gulf. I agree with him and admire his fearless approach to speaking the truth. We still experience this as if we live in a backward world where homosexuality is practiced while religious beliefs are imposed in the name of Islam to justify all their reprehensible actions. Even religion is being exploited. Frankly, this person is courageous, and his words are very honest and truthful. I wholeheartedly support his statement.

Yet they stone women to death just for showing their faces... what a fucking sick society!!!

I remember as a child my mum telling her friends who had boys that she wished she had boys and the women were saying..you have no idea what we have to do to protect our boys..we think it's  easier to look out for daughters.  At the time I thought crazy! As an adult  I  get it!

The reality: In Islamic nations such as Pakistan the gender segregation creates more opportunities for closeted gay sex

Had a Pakistani boy friend of 5 brothers 3 were gay . But at the end all three married  women̈ and lived unhappy and secretly carried on sleeping   with men

Thank you! I worked for 6 years in Northern Nigeria, which is very islamic, but as a white gay, I found myself being very cautious, but at the same time I was introduced by Nigerian gay boys ( who are around at the major hotels in big cities like Kano) to the houses of these  el-Hadjis, who are very wealthy and live in big houses with their boys around them.These are walled estates so whatever happens inside is a private matter. These el-Hadjis have another house for their wives(because in Nigeria one cannot be a bachelor, specially when one is a wealthy and important businessman). I found out there ia a lot of homosexuality in Nigeria but it is very secretive.

People underestimate how brave you have to be to have this conversation on the internet with your name and face showing. This needs to go viral. Queer Pakistanis need to be shown what bravery is and what doing the right thing is

I've lived in Pakistan. Im also Gay. With white skin and blue eyes I've never been so inundated with propositions in my life. Although the middle east and north Africa came a very close second ! Of course all the Men that came after me identified as full, red blooded Heterosexuals ! However many of the Men can be extremely predatory. It's not 'Gay' as in wanting to love another Man and have a relationship. It is often purely to release sexual urges and some of the activity would be classed as Predatory, Rape and especially Paedophilia by Western norms.

Not every gay person/couple is into penetration. They still identify as being gay.

White 50+ American here.  First time listener.  Great guest!  They say there are no adults left, well he is one.  Mature, responsible, considerate, knowledgeable yet humble.  What a wonderful person.

In pakistan boys are allowed to be out all day unlike girls and the family doesn’t know who’s touching him or who he is touching. Ofcourse girls are off limits to form any intimacy with boys as they both go through puberty so where do you think boys let off their energy ? To older males or other boys. Which is why they will hold hands with eachother but it’s highly forbidden to hold hands with women. It’s so backwards when you think about it. Atleast in the west you can choose to be with a woman.

This is the very community that once claimed "AIDS in Thailand is under control," yet by 2026, Thailand had become the country with the highest AIDS prevalence in Southeast Asia and ranked among the top 10 globally....

This what happens when a society segregates its sexes and considers one sex inferior. Guys want to get off. If women aren’t around and most men hardly have exposure to women, they’ll find an outlet—dressing boys in dancing clothes and letting their imagination fill in the rest. It’s such a prime example of why segregation of anything meant to intermingle always leads to divergent behaviors.