Info about escorts/gay scene in Cairo, Egypt?

[Guest Sexpert]

I’m going on a short trip to Cairo, Egypt. I don’t know anything about the gay scene/escort activities there, if any, so I’d appreciate any info.

[+ bigjoey]

there was a story on NPR today about gays being arrested at a floating disco. i think it was 50 plus men were arrested and being tried. while gay sex is not outlawed directly, i think the charge was for "debauchery". they were examined by a doctor for evidence of "gay sex". in islamic countries generally, gay life is not open or accepted. the story about egypt gave the impression that the were cracking down on any open showings of gay life. many islamic countries would find jessie helms liberal in his attitudes. i believe in afghanistan that homosexuality is punishable by death. i suggest you leave your rainbow flag clothing at home.

[Guest DJPerez]

Yes; the situation for gay men in Cairo and all of Egypt sounds very AYOR. I just yesterday received web page reprints on the matter from my local Amnesty International chapter after requesting information about actions related to the matter.

 

I'll post more info. on how you can protest the arrests & poor treatment as soon as I read over the material.

 

Definitely: Watch yourself out there! There's no gaurantee that a US citizen would be treated any better if caught in whatever Egyptian authorities are considering an "immoral" situation.

 

Peace, Pleasure, & Safety!

 

D. J.

http://www.geocities.com/djpworld/

[+ Unicorn]

I read in one of the gay newspapers that many of the people on the boat were tortured by the police. I would watch my step very carefully in Egypt.

[Guest TFNH]

The bars within major hotels are pretty safe, and there are almost always available men who make it quite obvious why they are there(usually free and just playful). I've stayed at both the Mena House Oberoi, across from the pyramids at Giza on the outskirts of Cairo, and the Marriott Zamelek, right in the relative center of Cairo on the Nile. I never lacked for company at either place.

[Guest Les]

Hi Sexpert,

My last trip to Egypt was in 1999 so my info may be a little dated... Since the "Queen Boat" incident gay groups have been organizing a boycott. The best online advice is here:

http://gayegypt.com/

One hint that sounds silly to western ears is to wear an earring. It works! Sex offers doubled and I even had my bottom pinched a couple of times!

Take care, Les

[buckguy]

In the Arab world, in general, there's an assumption that Western men and women are "available". I was cruised and awkwardly propositioned numerous times. And my fellow travelrs reported much the same thing (a married a guy I met was propositioned in the presence of his wife, probably the most extreme case). Typically, the guys are looking for bottoms. When I stayed in Cairo, the bars in the big Western chain hotels were said to be major gay hangouts, although my limited exposure to these places suggested that any crusing was probably fairly discreet. If you're hot for Arab guys, there are other, less dangerous places to connect (Morocco, for example or, for that matter, Amsterdam).

[Will]

Yesterday I happened to pick up a copy of this week's L'EXPRESSE, which is published in Paris. There was a two-page lead article on the boat bust, with a picture of a bunch of Egyptian men, hiding their faces and sort of running the gauntlet before a crowd of police. The article didn't tell me anything about the raid itself that I hadn't already learned from this thread. It did say, however, that there is nothing in Egyptian law that makes homosexual practices illegal. However, the crackdown has come at the instigation of the political authorities, which is afraid of the right-wing Muslim party. That's why the raid occurred, the article said, and that's why there were trumped-up charges. Among others, one was sacrilege, which apparently is indeed illegal in Egypt.

 

I had a friend who found an extremely accommodating cabin steward on his Nile cruise(!). However, one thing that the article in L'EXPRESSE made clear is that this particular development is virulent and that further such actions by the police can be expected.

[trilingual]

An early article I saw about the bust in Cairo implied that there also may have been some foreigners on the boat. It sounds like they were let go (possibly expelled from the country?) while the locals were jailed and prosecuted. Things are definitely getting kinda nasty throughout the Islamic world with the current wave of fundamentalism and visitors would be well warned to exercise extreme care and discretion while visiting an Islamic country. Cultural attitudes and the legal systems are completely different than in Western democracies; don't assume things work like they do at home!

 

If you're willing to risk something, nonetheless, I imagine the current crackdown isn't completely repressing the horniness of all those unmarried young men who basically have no other sexual outlet except masturbation and sex with other men! One has long heard that the guards at the Egyptian Museum are available. If you see one who's fetching, some eye contact will probably get things going. I understand the gimmick is to shown an otherwised closed gallery, where discreet hanky-panky can take place. A friend went a number of years ago and discovered that the young coffee-vendor at the camel market in Luxor (or was it Aswan) was happy to lift his jellabah and show off a cock that would have made one of the camels proud! (He had photos to prove it!) But again, maximum cautionand discretion is necessary.