Some Countries To Skip When You’re Planning Your Gay Wedding

As most gay people realize, there are lots of places in the world that simply aren’t gay-friendly. For instance, if you follow the news, you probably don’t want to stage a gay wedding in Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates or Egypt, where homosexuality isn’t just frowned upon, it can get you killed. Interestingly enough, while Afghanistan boasts a long-standing tradition of homosexual relationships between men and boys and adult men, these relationships are kept strictly on the QT, especially in areas controlled by the fundamentalist Taliban. Face it, the Middle East, and especially Islamic countries, even places that are more tolerant like Jordan, are just not good places to be gay, much less try to have a gay wedding or a honeymoon. In the case of the Middle Eastern country of Dubai, that’s a particular shame because Dubai boasts some world-class beaches, gorgeous state-of-the-art hotels, and fabulous restaurants. And while Israel is ostensibly a secular democracy, the high percentage of fundamentalist and ultra-orthodox Jews there makes being gay in public a dangerous occupation.

So, even though the Islamic world’s distaste for all things gay, including gay marriage, is pretty much common knowledge there are other gay-hating counties that might surprise you. For instance, did you ever think that it might be bad news to be gay in public in Poland? It’s true. Right-wing groups have disrupted Gay Pride parades, and Poland’s current president Lech Kczynski denied gay rights groups the right to march and was even quoted as saying he, “would not allow the promotion of gay culture.” If I were you, I’d scratch Poland off the list of possible locations for a gay wedding since other European countries like France and Netherlands have much more progressive attitudes toward gay marriage and gay couples on their honeymoons. There are several African countries that are uniquely hostile to gay marriage and gay couples as well. Cameroon may boast gorgeous rain forest and beautiful wildlife, but it’s also a bad place to be gay. You can still be arrested there for homosexuality and given a medical examination for evidence of homosexual conduct. Boy, talk about a buzz kill! The African country of Nigeria also outlaws homosexuality under both its penal code and Muslim law. In the Northern Muslim states, you can be put to death for being gay. Not only that, but Nigerian law expressly forbids same-sex marriage and even prohibits gays from carrying out public protests and petitioning the government. Even newspapers that publish information about gay unions are banned, as are any religious organizations that allow gay marriage. The Asian nation of Nepal is a beautiful, spiritual place, seemingly ideal for a honeymoon trip, unless you’re gay, that is. This past April, 18 transgender women were attacked on the way to a festival. Finally, don’t go to India with visions of getting married to your life partner in front of the Taj Mahal. Gay men can go to jail for as long as 10 years for violating India’s stringent anti-sodomy laws.