'Real Housewives of Dubai' Paint Rosy Pic of City's Gay Life; Researchers Say Otherwise
How about gaslighting, "Real Housewife"-style?
Weeks after producer Andy Cohen was slammed by 12 human rights groups for his involvement in "Real Housewives of Dubai" for filming in a country where homosexuality is punishable by death, a number of the housewives claimed how "gay-friendly" it is.
Shortly before the show's premiere last month, "human rights groups — Freedom Forward, Action Corps, Clearinghouse on Women's Issues, CODEPINK, European Centre For Democracy and Human Rights, FairSquare, Health Advocacy International, Human Rights Sentinel, Just Foreign Policy, Last Mile4D, Peace Action and ReThinking Foreign Policy — sent an open letter to Bravo, its parent company NBCUniversal and the production company Truly Original expressing deep concern over the show," reported Yahoo! Entertainment.
"Dubai is an absolute monarchy that is part of the dictatorship of the United Arab Emirates," it said. "By setting the Real Housewives franchise inside Dubai, you are helping the UAE dictatorship hide its male rulers' misogyny, legalized homophobia and mass violence against women."
In a report published by the London School of Economics, two queer researchers explored the subject of gay life in Dubai. They wrote that while there are gay-designated "parties" in the city, there are no gay bars. "Not a single venue's webpage uses the word 'gay' or related euphemisms, nor do they hint at targeting a gay crowd."
The report continued: "Much of the Dubayyan gay nightlife takes place in venues within the city's copious international hotels, which are technically open to all who can afford them. These palatial, shimmering structures are havens from the extreme heat, even hours after sundown."
How these parties are promoted is by word-of-mouth. "It transpires that all information about the parties is by word of mouth or WhatsApp group chats with other expatriates. As soon as a party appears on a TripAdvisor review or blog, it will either change name or venue, or both, to divert potential intervention by Emirati authorities. Gay dating apps are also shunned for fear of entrapment by police."
Nor did the observers find a typical Western experience at the parties. Remixes were not heard and " they did not observe same-sex physical contact, not even friendly gestures."
They also observed anxiety amongst attendees. "There's this constant sense of your hair standing on end and having to be cautious about who's listening, who's at the door, who's invited, or what might be said and passed along, that could get us in trouble."
But they also observed exceptions, such as "a more exclusive, much less inhibited, party at a hotel rooftop bar where men were openly kissing and cuddling, and the entertainment was a Lady Gaga-inspired drag performance. Only the highest-earning and most extravagantly wealthy of men, both Western and Arab, are self-assured enough to take part in these types of activity."
They explain: "This party was not a regular event, but there were similarly extravagant, debaucherous events that would happen irregularly elsewhere in the emirate, from penthouses to nearby desert locations.... Only those with the most cumulative privilege among a generally imperilled population of heterogeneous Dubai-based homosexuals would attempt to deploy this repertoire openly."
It is likely these kinds of events (not the norm) that led a number of the "Real Housewives of Dubai" to paint a rosy picture of gay life in Dubai. "To portray Dubai as a progressive and modern city, the 'Real Housewives of Dubai' ladies boldly stated that homosexuality is accepted in Dubai," according to the website Meaww. "Caroline Brooks hosted a pool party for the ladies and their friends and invited her two best friends from back home in the USA. Brooks revealed how her friends were hesitant about visiting her in Dubai owing to the strict UAE laws around homosexuality."
But Brooks claimed that Dubai is a very progressive city and that gay people are accepted in society, the Meaww report continued. "Her co-stars Chanel Ayan and Nina Ali too seconded Brooks. They declared that Dubai was moving in the right direction and that homosexuality being a punishable offense in the UAE is a huge misconception."
But many on social media accused the women of gaslighting, while some shaded Cohen.
Twitter user @bigchapa wrote: "Why are we being gaslit into believing that gay people are accepted in Dubai. 'It's not like New York, you can't hold hands in public' yea, Caroline. What happens if you do!? #RHODubai"
User @edenwillow agreed: "Oh so you can be gay in Dubai you just can't tell anyone or hold your partner's hand in public gotcha nice society you got there #RHODubai"
User @LawrenceAbuhoff slammed Cohen for his involvement with the show. "#RHOD liars and apologists. Homosexuality is illegal in Dubai and punishable by death under Sharia, which is the basis of the legal system in the UAE. #Bravo should be ashamed and
@Andy Cohen is disgusting for allowing this propaganda"
@TimTimbuktu8 was equally blunt addressing Cohen: "I'm asking how you promote a country who punishes the LGBTQ (and not the privileged rich white people like you) community and treats it's immigrant population as slaves to build and support its 'RHOD' lifestyle. I suspect u r all about the $$ #BRAVOTV"
@EchoDoesRadio pointed out "If the LGBTQIA community can't be openly queer then it's not as progressive as y'all are trying to sell it to be. Period. Let's not be tonedeaf. #RHODubai"
@TamMoh71 tweeted: "You're accepted if you're gay AND rich in Dubai - let's make sure we make that distinction #RHODubai"