Being Gay In Pakistan

[trippymonkey]

I think Beeb 3 last night.
A fascinating prog of a British Asian guy / gay, a Londoner, going over to the land of his birth to see what's happening with the LGBT society there.

As expected most if not near ALL gay activity was underground & sooo many so-called straight guys going there for sex & whatever.
What WAS humorous was a telly imam giving him some herbal 'cure' for his homosexuality, to be taken in pill & powder form calling him a PATIENT & being gay was really just disobeying God, his god anyway, not mine. Of course it didn't work even though the Imam said he'd start to feel differently even after a week. HA HA !!!!!
Please see the repeat as it IS quite uplifting even though the Imam said being gay was against God etc & would result in death if they persisted IN Pakistan.

Nick

[Owlswing]

I think Beeb 3 last night.
A fascinating prog of a British Asian guy / gay, a Londoner, going over to the land of his birth to see what's happening with the LGBT society there.

As expected most if not near ALL gay activity was underground & sooo many so-called straight guys going there for sex & whatever.
What WAS humorous was a telly imam giving him some herbal 'cure' for his homosexuality, to be taken in pill & powder form calling him a PATIENT & being gay was really just disobeying God, his god anyway, not mine. Of course it didn't work even though the Imam said he'd start to feel differently even after a week. HA HA !!!!!
Please see the repeat as it IS quite uplifting even though the Imam said being gay was against God etc & would result in death if they persisted IN Pakistan.

Nick

It results in death if you are gay in the IS caliphate too, but I am not sure if the Imam meant it in the same way, but he might well have done!

[Aruntraveller]

Hi Trippy

I watched this and didn''t really get any uplifting feeling from it. Sure the guy from London did a good job and was very personable - but the sheer horror of these peoples day to day lives was far from uplifting.

The constant threat of violence and even death - the casual attitude to raping transgendered people was all too much to stomach. I had been aware before this programme that all this went on, butseeing it made it much more real and visceral.

[trippymonkey]

WELLLL THIS is the world of Islam for you.

As you say, horrifying if you put a foot 'wrong' !!!!

Nick

[Aruntraveller]

WELLLL THIS is the world of Islam for you.

As you say, horrifying if you put a foot 'wrong' !!!!

Nick

I am loath to attribute it solely to Islam - I'm sure it has a part to play - but then so do the British with the introduction of the penal code that criminalised homosexuality. And I am sure there will be other 'societal' factor involved also. Thinking on it further what was uplifting was the people involved and there reaction to the hostility they faced - some of them were very brave much more than I would be in their situation.

[Rhiannon]

I linked to the Naz and Matt Foundation a day or two ago. Worth a look to see the work going on to bring acceptance between LBGT Muslims and their families and communities, although Naz and Matt's story is heartbreaking.

[dadvokat]

One of the saddest stories I read about was that of a Pakistani doctor whose family would not accept his gay life style and who committed suicide. A very moving account by his partner in the guardian.


http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/muslim-doctor-killed-himself-after-his-mother-told-him-to-seek-a-cure-for-being-gay-9905320.html

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/mar/21/my-boyfriend-killed-himself-because-his-family-couldnt-accept-that-he-was-gay

[Rhiannon]

That's Naz and Matt.

Beyond tragic. 

[The Accountant, OBE, KC]

I think Beeb 3 last night.
A fascinating prog of a British Asian guy / gay, a Londoner, going over to the land of his birth to see what's happening with the LGBT society there.

As expected most if not near ALL gay activity was underground & sooo many so-called straight guys going there for sex & whatever.
What WAS humorous was a telly imam giving him some herbal 'cure' for his homosexuality, to be taken in pill & powder form calling him a PATIENT & being gay was really just disobeying God, his god anyway, not mine. Of course it didn't work even though the Imam said he'd start to feel differently even after a week. HA HA !!!!!
Please see the repeat as it IS quite uplifting even though the Imam said being gay was against God etc & would result in death if they persisted IN Pakistan.

Nick

I just watched this with the kids - they are on half-term. I fast forwarded the bit where he goes to check out the local straight men who have sex with men because women are not accessible, which I mentioned to the kids was what happens sometimes in prison, as my kids were somewhat repulsed at the idea of viewing people showing their sexual attraction to someone else, regardless of whether it is heterosexual or homosexual attraction. They still get freaked out if they see their dad and I kiss each other hello or goodbye on the lips. Other than that, the programme was fairly interesting as it showed that despite conservative culture there was evidence of diversity within the Pakistani community.

I don't find it surprising that people feel unsafe in Pakistan - a close family friend of my husband's was killed by a bomb blast while praying in a local mosque in Pakistan - his family moved to Pakistan from Sri Lanka many years ago. As the imam pointed out, there are extremists in their society who will kill people. 

[The Accountant, OBE, KC]

One of the saddest stories I read about was that of a Pakistani doctor whose family would not accept his gay life style and who committed suicide. A very moving account by his partner in the guardian.


http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/muslim-doctor-killed-himself-after-his-mother-told-him-to-seek-a-cure-for-being-gay-9905320.html

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/mar/21/my-boyfriend-killed-himself-because-his-family-couldnt-accept-that-he-was-gay

I think it is sad that he was so hung up on what his family in Birmingham thought, and craved their acceptance to the extent that not getting that acceptance might have prompted him to suicide, despite all the opportunities and advantages he had had and which people who were mentally well would have felt very thankful for - a loving partner who he was engaged to, a penthouse in London, a great career, money.

I see the report in the Standard says the doctor had taken mephedrone and ketamine shortly before his death. So he probably wasn't thinking clearly because he was under the influence of drugs when he jumped. I remember being drunk after an OTC ball at university and sitting by myself on a ledge 5 floors up on the outside of a halls of residence in London, having climbed out of the window in the early hours of the morning with some friends, and thinking how beautiful it all looked and seeing the cars parked below and thinking it didn't seem like it would hurt if I jumped off and landed on the cars below. Luckily even in my fuzzy-headed state, I realised that that thought did not make sense, and that I had better climb back inside as the thought of jumping was worryingly attractive - and I wasn't sad, I was actually really happy as the ball had been a blast.