Report this comment to a moderator

Gay lawyers in the Gulf: Pride denied

Firms turn blind eye, it seems I work for a niche firm which has foreign offices including one in the UAE. Foreign secondments are an important element in any long term career at the firm and I had begun to consider potential secondment destinations. The UAE was near the top of the list. But that was because I was ignorant of the severity of the law concerning homosexuality in the UAE. I am frankly amazed by the relaxed stance taken by the people interviewed for the article. Personally, I will not set foot in those territories whilst the current laws are in place, unless it is absolutely essential. I could just about stomach going for a meeting or conference, but to go and live there for a matter of many months or years is out of the question, even whilst single. Naturally, my position applies equally to my leisure time. I had planned to go and stay in the supreme monument to kitsch, known as the Burj Al Arab Hotel, but in the circumstances I will go and satisfy my penchant for the occasional bit of utter vulgarity elsewhere. I can see that reconciling their equality efforts with operating in jurisdictions that criminalise and discriminate against gay people is tricky for firms. However, it is implicit in the article that firms have in the past insisted that gay people be seconded to such jurisdictions, whatever their feelings. I would hope that in an age where almost all firms trumpet their belief in equality that they would forego making a buck in such circumstances and put the associate’s feelings (and safety/liberty) first. However, rather sadly and worryingly, your report suggests that there appears to be some way to go until that is widely seen as the right way to proceed.

30-Sep-2008

10:43 pm