TROUBLE IN PARADISE
As gay travellers with pink dollars to spend, it’s time to vote with our feet and our wallets, says travel correspondent, Marc Andrews.
As gay travellers with pink dollars to spend, it’s time to vote with our feet and our wallets !
By visiting these countries and spending our tourist dollars, we are helping prop up and fund anti-gay governments that would prefer us, and their own LGBTIQ citizens, dead.
I HADN’T
visited the drop-dead gorgeous African island of Zanzibar for over four years. The last few times my boyfriend (now husband) and I stayed, mainly to visit his family who lived there at the time, we sensed a growing disdain among the locals, not just for tourists, but for Western society in general and, with it, a growing vitriol against “imported” homosexuality.
Coming back to Zanzibar in early 2018 to visit friends, we noticed new fortress-like mosques appearing on the landscape. They’re called “gifts” from wealthier Arabic countries, keen to export their version of Islamic fundamentalism to this region.
As most of us are aware, Islamic fundamentalism and homosexuality do not make great bedfellows. Stoning, executions, being tossed off buildings by ISIS extremists – these are typical of fundamentalists responses to the notion of there being gay men in their midst. Most gay men avoid visiting these countries or considering them as viable travel destinations.
Visiting the lost city of Petra in the Middle Eastern Arabic country of Jordan last year gave me a real-life experience of having to hide my homosexuality. We were two gay couples, both married, but had to make it clear to outsiders that we were just a group of four friends with a profound fascination for archaeological sites and ancient civilizations. There could be no loving looks, no hand holding, no quick butt grabs in view of anyone because of the risks involved. Our wedding rings, like our love, had to be concealed.
Yet, as soon as we crossed the border into neighbouring Israel, it was like being in another world. Regardless of what you think of Israel’s geo-politics, it is by far the most homo-friendly country in the region, as long as you stick close to Tel Aviv, home of the annual Gay Pride Parade. Lebanon’s Beirut also hosted an LGBTIQ Pride event in 2017.
I have a number of testy gay friends, however, who refuse to visit Israel because they disagree with its politics. Some of them even boycotted Wonder Woman because the lead actress, Gal Gadot, was formerly in the Israeli Army. They say they can’t, in good conscience, support a regime that doesn’t recognise the Palestinian people and treats them as less than second-class citizens.
The only problem with this thinking, I believe, is that it leaves you stranded somewhere between good intentions and missing the point. Palestine is not known for being gay-friendly and, indeed, many gay Palestinians escape to Israel to survive.
Does being anti-Israel mean being pro-Arab? If so, how about a complete boycott of Saudi Arabia and oil? The kingdom is considered the birthplace of Islam and has a standard execution policy for those convicted of homosexuality. What about considering not flying with Arab airlines, or never stopping at fashionable Middle Eastern shopping destinations like Dubai or Doha as a show of solidarity with oppressed gay people of the region?
What about Turkey? This near-fascist country is rapidly turning from secular government towards Islamic fundamentalism. Why not test the reaction there when you hold your male lover’s hand while walking down the street? Your simple declaration of love could suddenly become a bold political statement, and are you ready for the repercussions: arrest, detention, deportation or your life at risk?
So, the question is, should we put personal politics before our global political views? Should we, as gay travellers, be making better informed decisions about where we spend our pink tourist dollars?
Last year I wrote a three-part feature for DNA called Honeymoon Hotspots. Included on the list, initially, was Zanzibar, birthplace of Freddie Mercury of Queen. However, just as the story was being written, articles began appearing in the mainstream media about the harassment of gay people, AIDS activists and tourists on the island, and of real threats to personal security including people perceived as being homosexual having their >>
>> throats slit. I dropped Zanzibar off the list and replaced it with Italy’s Verona.
Another thoughtprovoking issue of this magazine last year featured a cover story, plus a bumper speedo-centric pictorial inside, devoted to The Maldives. The Maldives like Zanzibar, is now experiencing a seismic wave of Islamic fundamentalism, predominantly sponsored by other wealthier Arab countries. Gay men are at risk of being harassed, attacked or worse. *
Most people who visit either country will, most likely, stick to the luxury five-star resorts and feel safe enough for doing so. But by visiting these countries and spending our tourist dollars, aren’t we helping prop up and fund anti-gay governments that would prefer us, and their own local LGBTIQ citizens, dead?
There is the argument that if we never visit these countries the locals will never experience LGBTIQ people, or get to know us, and we’ll never be able to inspire local gay people.
My counter-argument is that in these days of the internet, social media and messaging apps, the world is already linked in and people around the globe have plenty of exposure to gay culture.
There are now so many countries with gorgeous holiday destinations catering to the pink dollar, rolling out the rainbow flag, that we can let our money do the talking. We don’t need to visit countries that hate us and oppress their own populations. We can, instead, choose destinations where we can feel comfortable holding our partner’s hand, enjoy a romantic kiss over dinner, and wander the towns at night without fear of being assaulted or arrested.
It boils down to this – as gay men, with our disposable incomes and love of travel, we have the opportunity to make a difference. We should support those who support us. We should avoid those who wish to oppress us. We should withdraw our business from countries that execute, persecute and oppress their LGBTIQ people. Together, voting with our feet, we can make a difference.
I sit here, writing this in Zanzibar. I’m watching the hypnotic ocean roll back onto the beach for high tide. Another spectacular sunset is due momentarily. I have to remind myself that outside our hotel grounds is an inhospitable world, especially for me as an openly gay married man. This is something the straight couples who visit here never have to think about, and I’m sure most would have no idea how it affects me and my partner. The unease I feel does not make for a comforting holiday.
So, while I would love to recommend visiting Zanzibar, instead, my husband and I acknowledge that we feel uncomfortable on this island. We have decided that we will only visit countries that respectfully recognise us and our love for each other. Perhaps, at some time in the future, things will change here in Zanzibar, and in other places like The Maldives, too. But for now, just saying no and not going on vacation there is the small, personal part we can each play in taking a stand and making a difference. There are now so many countries with gorgeous holiday destinations catering to the pink dollar, rolling out the rainbow flag, that we can let our money do the talking.