Saudi Arabia

Global News

Added on: 07/22/2024

From fear to freedom: LGBTQ+ migrants seek safe haven in Germany

07/21/2024

Faced with rape threats, forced conversion therapy, and the necessity to flee their homeland, four queer individuals share their experiences with DW. “The Russian police threatened to…

Global News

Added on: 06/10/2024

Non-binary Saudi influencer denied asylum in UK because officials ‘don’t believe they are really LGBT+’

06/09/2024

A non-binary social media influencer fleeing persecution in Saudi Arabia has been denied asylum in the UK because officials allegedly don’t believe they are really LGBT+. Ali Saad…

Global News

Added on: 06/07/2024

Non-binary Saudi influencer denied asylum in UK because officials ‘don’t believe they are really LGBT+’

06/06/2024

A non-binary social media influencer fleeing persecution in Saudi Arabia has been denied asylum in the UK because officials allegedly don’t believe they are really LGBT+. Ali Saad Muthyib,…

Global News

Added on: 01/21/2024

Gay Saudi slams Jordan Henderson LGBTQ+ apology: ‘He needs to pay reparations’

01/20/2024

An LGBTQ+ Saudi activist has slammed Jordan Henderson over his lukewarm apology to queer fans and called on the footballer to “pay reparations” to the community. Speaking…

Global News

Added on: 09/17/2023

Why is anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric on the rise in the Middle East?

09/16/2023

From Lebanon to Iraq, politicians in the Middle East have stepped up their anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, raising concerns about an increase in homophobic violence and even tougher penalties…

Global News

Added on: 09/06/2023

Jordan Henderson defends move to Saudi Arabia after LGBTQ rights criticism

09/05/2023

England midfielder Jordan Henderson has responded to criticism by defending his decision to join a Saudi Arabian club and apologising for the hurt caused to the LGBTQ…

Global News

Added on: 08/18/2023

Saudi LGBTQ refugees live in fear of being kidnapped

08/17/2023

In the wake of the tragic death of a Saudi trans woman who was coerced back to the country before taking her own life, LGTBQ Saudis are…

Global News

Added on: 08/06/2023

Gareth Southgate ‘understands’ anger over LGBT community supporter Jordan Henderson’s Saudi move

08/05/2023

England manager Gareth Southgate says he understands the criticism directed at Jordan Henderson, a vocal supporter of the LGBT community, following his move to Saudi Arabian club…

Global News

Added on: 07/30/2023

Saudi football ‘sportswashing’ and using multi-million-pound deals to distract from human rights issues

07/29/2023

Players from across the game have taken eye-watering amounts of money to join the Saudi Pro League, moves which have been criticised as supporting “sportswashing”. In December,…

Global News

Added on: 05/02/2023

In a shift, Saudi Arabia to ‘welcome’ LGBTQ tourists

05/01/2023

LGBTQ tourists can now visit Saudi Arabia, according to the kingdom’s official tourism site. The shift follows a series of social and economic changes that the kingdom…

Global News

Added on: 03/18/2023

A Saudi Trans Woman Is Presumed Dead After Claiming She Was Forced to Detransition

03/17/2023

On March 12, Eden Knight, a 23-year-old Saudi-American transgender woman, posted a note online indicating that she intended to die by suicide. Knight’s suicide note accused her…

Global News

Added on: 11/30/2022

LGBTQ Arabs Fear Backlash After World Cup ‘Spotlight’

11/29/2022

With rainbow flags and “OneLove” armbands, World Cup fans have protested against host Qatar’s anti-LGBTQ policies, but many queer Arabs fear a Western solidarity push could do…

Global News

Added on: 08/05/2022

Saudi sisters found dead in Sydney told acquaintance queer women ‘live in fear’ in their homeland

08/04/2022

Two Saudi sisters found dead in their beds in Sydney attended a girls-only queer event in January where they told acquaintances gay women “live in fear” in Saudi…

Global News

Added on: 08/02/2022

An Arabic anti-LGBTQ+ campaign is going viral on Twitter

08/01/2022

In late June, an account launched on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Telegram called Fetrah — the Arabic word for “human instinct.” Soon after, the account posted a…

Global News

Added on: 08/01/2022

Saudi police arrest TikToker for alleged lesbian subtext

07/31/2022

Tala Safwan has five million followers on TikTok and 800,000 on YouTube. She lives in Saudi Arabia. Her content is similar to other young social media influencers…

Global News

Added on: 07/29/2022

Saudi Arabia arrests Egyptian social media star Tala Safwan for ‘immorality’

07/27/2022

An Egyptian social media star has been detained in Saudi Arabia under accusations of being immoral and sexually suggestive online. Tala Safwan – who creates content on TikTok and YouTube –…

Global News

Added on: 07/18/2022

LGBTQ communities facing new repression in Middle East

07/17/2022

Most of the people around him don’t know he identifies as queer, the 20-year-old Iraqi student told DW. But life in his comparatively conservative southern city of Najaf…

Global News

Added on: 04/26/2022

Disney is refusing to cut LGBTQ scene in Doctor Strange 2, Saudi Arabia says.

04/25/2022

Saudi Arabia has asked Disney to cut “LGBTQ references” from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness before it can be screened in the kingdom, an official…

Global News

Added on: 02/20/2022

Saudi activist speaks on LGBTQ status in Kuwait

02/19/2022

Days after Kuwait’s constitutional court struck down a law that criminalizes “imitation of the opposite sex” – considered a breakthrough for the regional transgender community – journalist…

Global News

Added on: 12/26/2021

SAUDI ARABIA’S TOP RELIGIOUS BODY SAYS HOMOSEXUALITY IS ‘ONE OF THE MOST HEINOUS CRIMES’

12/26/2021

Saudi Arabia’s top religious body has declared homosexuality to be ‘one of the most heinous crimes’. According to a statement by the official Saudi Press Agency, Grand…

Global News

Added on: 12/19/2021

Treatment of LGBTQ people across Middle East examined in new report

12/18/21

The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) published a report on Tuesday covering the criminalization of consensual same-sex relations, stating that the Islamic Republic…

Global News

Added on: 12/05/2021

Lewis Hamilton condemns ‘terrifying’ LGBTQ+ laws before Saudi Arabian GP

12/2/21

Lewis Hamilton has said he is not comfortable competing in Saudi Arabia given its repressive laws regarding the LGBTQ+ community. Speaking before this weekend’s grand prix in…

Global News

Added on: 09/02/2021

Banned and blocked: LGBT+ websites censored from Russia to Indonesia

09/01/2021

When Russian cities started banning Pride marches, LGBT+ rights activist Mikhail Tumasov took to the internet to make sure his organisation kept its voice. But state authorities…

Global News

Added on: 07/28/2020

Saudi Arabia: Yemeni Blogger Convicted for Supporting LGBT Rights

07/27/2020

A Saudi court sentenced a Yemeni blogger to jail and then deportation to Yemen for a social media post supporting equal rights for all in Saudi Arabia,…

Global News

Added on: 06/10/2020

Saudi authorities beat blogger, demand he ‘confess’ being gay because he supports LGBT+ rights

06/09/2020

Human rights campaigners have called on Saudi Arabia to release blogger Mohamad al-Bokari, who was detained after stating his support for LGBT+ rights. According to Human Rights…

Global News

Added on: 03/09/2020

Disney’s ‘Onward’ Banned In Middle East Over Lesbian Character

03/09/2020

Multiple Middle Eastern markets have banned the Disney/Pixar animated movie “Onward” for featuring an explicitly lesbian character. “Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have all banned the…

Global News

Added on: 12/17/2019

Gay Saudi journalists both freed from Australian detention after ‘powerful’ LGBT community rallied round them

12/17/2019

The two gay Saudi journalists who sought asylum in Australia have both finally been freed after one was forced to remain alone in a detention centre due…

Global News

Added on: 12/05/2019

Senate calls on government to expedite asylum claim of two gay Saudi journalists in ‘arbitrary’ detention

12/04/2019

The Senate has passed a motion calling on the government to recognise the increased risk it has placed on two gay Saudi journalists by keeping them in…

Global News

Added on: 11/21/2019

LGBT advocates call for Australia to release Saudi gay journalist couple

11/20/2019

Two gay Saudi journalists, who claim they were outed in retaliation for contacts one of them had with a foreign media outlet, have been detained in Australia…

Global News

Added on: 11/19/2019

GAY SAUDI ARABIAN JOURNALISTS SPEAK OUT WHILE DETAINED IN AUSTRALIA

11/18/2019

Two gay Saudi Arabian journalists detained in Australia while attempting to seek asylum have spoken out about their ordeal, labelling their treatment “unconscionable”. Last week, The Guardian…