Queer Eye for the (not-so) Straight Guy
Kuwait can't think of enough ways to embarrass itself around the Globe. The creative thinkers have been toiling away in committees, thinking of new ways to draw attention to the country.. and then... BAM... there's this!
This story is ALL OVER the internet this morning - just because it is good, clean FUN.
Yessss! The international media has picked it up. Another big win for Kuwait. Way to go!
The Atlantic Wire LINK HERE.
Story: Yousuf Mindkar, the director of public
health in Kuwait announced that the country has stumbled upon the technology to
"detect" gays and prevent them from coming across its borders.
Mindkar's master plan will be debated on November 11 when the Gulf Cooperation
Countries committee convene. What he, and presumably Kuwait, wants is to make
sure that the expatriates going to Kuwait are healthy, which seems to mean that
they are also not gay.
"Health centres conduct the routine
medical check to assess the health of the expatriates when they come into the
GCC countries. However, we will take stricter measures that will help us detect
gays who will be then barred from entering Kuwait or any of the GCC member
states," Mindkar said in a local
report picked up by Gulf News. (In fairness to Kuwait, other countries
have had similarly myopic and anti-gay immigration
laws. In 2009, the U.S. ended
its ban on foreigners with HIV from immigrating or traveling here.)
Mindkar's anti-gay enthusiasm has piqued
our interest and conjured images of metal detector-like devices with a
disembodied RuPaul voice saying, "Shante you are not gay. You stay."
or "You are gay, sashay away (from Kuwait)" after someone steps
through.
Kidding aside, how is this even going to
work? Is it purely visual (this is very confusing
in certain cases)? Doesn't Kuwait know that plenty of LGBT people have
spent years living in closets and pretending to be people they're not? Is there
a lie detector test? And we wouldn't want to be the ones to break it to Mindkar
that gay people come from the loins of straight people, meaning any attempt to
keep your country gay-free is all but impossible.
Further: Kuwait isn't even a gay hotspot.
Neither is the Middle East, where gay is banned because of conservative Islam — Dubai,
considered one of the more progressive places there, is still pretty
intolerant of homosexuality. Berlin
and San Francisco these places are not, and people going to Kuwait or Dubai
aren't doing so because it's some wonderful Shangri-La for gay people (like
Tel-Aviv) or some open gay sex paradise (like
Pakistan). And it all makes you wonder if Mindkar is just banning people
who, by in large, don't even have any interest in going.
- - - End
This is only one story. Everybody is (so to speak) jumping on it today.
Desert Girl thoughts:
Methinks thou does protest too much.
Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
Just because you are the pitcher and not the catcher does not mean that you are not HOMOsexual or bi.
If you drop your wallet in Kuwait, kick it to Saudi Arabia....
'Do you know that guy?' "What guy?" 'The guy who F-ed you behind the mahawil.'
(Somebody stop me....)
14 comments:
And lest we forget, this is a country where they played the Kasakh national anthem from the movie 'Borat' instead of the real national anthem when the Kazakhstan team won a sporting event in Kuwait last year. The international media had a big 'hoot' over that one also. What a ridiculous nation!
I envision little men in short dishdasha lined up neatly, holding their 'special tool', preparing to penetrate all new expat males. Those who show signs of enjoying it will be deported immediately. But the short dishdasha dudes? Just doing their jobs.
I LOVE that this made international news. If Kuwait isn't careful they're going to soon outrank Saudi for being known as the silliest country in the world.
I just wanna know WHO got the contract for procurement of the testing equipment? OMG here we go again....
Hahaha, OMG the comic relief is endless!
It’s a proposal. A proposal is an idea. The proposal needs to get submitted to the ”Central Committee of Labor Affairs”, it can get rejected or approved.
Post a correction, Desert Girl.
The proposal could be considered by a central committee on the status of expatriates set to meet on November 11. http://www.buzzfeed.com/lesterfeder/kuwait-considering-ban-on-gays-entering-the-country
”Kuwait to conduct gay tests to detect and ban homosexuals” = Very misleading title.
You all jump at any opportunity to mock Kuwait. Lebanon did gay detection tests first btw in 2011 & 2012.
Kuwait PROPOSES ban on entry of gays
http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/kuwait-proposes-gcc-ban-on-entry-of-expat-transgenders-2013-10-08-1.523880
You all just jump at any chance to mock and belittle Kuwait and Kuwaitis, especially you ''American Girl''.
But do they have a cure?
Silliness.
Anonymous 5:23 The only reason I am publishing your comment is because I’m up for a fight today and you just happened along at the right time. Thank you.
You don't get it, do you?
I'm not posting a correction (although I find it amusing that you would actually believe that you could somehow tell me what to do in this – or any other – circumstance). I am not the source of the article (nor any of the multitude of others that are on the internet with the same subject right now). Kind of like closing the barn door when the horse is already out, n'est pas?
This was an article that was published on the internet. I didn't write it. I'm just passing along how the WORLD is reacting today. If you feel that various media sources have made mistakes - WRITE TO THE EDITORS OF THOSE sources! Are you singling out my blog (and my followers like American Girl) to chastise today, or are you making the rounds to the thousands of other blog posts and Facebook comments to chastise them as well? You are going to be VERY busy today!
I believe what you fail to understand is that people are "mocking" the mere thought/hint of this concept as preposterous; not a "proposal" or any specifics related to it. When Kuwait and Kuwaitis loose their ability to laugh at their own foibles, then Kuwait looses part of their own identity! (But then, I don’t know your nationality nor your gripe, so I can’t make that assumption.)
Regardless, I will say it again: If you don't like what I have to say - stop reading. If you have some kind of petty judgmental personal gripe with me (and people who regularly comment here), I will continue to delete your posts.
@Anonymous 5:23PM - Bottom-line is this....I think your government will find it difficult to sashay away from this one- your MP's need to be more focused on critical matters. How would such a statement to the press bring anyone political gain in a country where there should be press releases to announce the building of a new airport, a new metro and road development projects that bring national pride to your nation FINALLY, not the introduction of a gaydar project. You continuously embarrass yourselves in the international media by your blatant efforts 'to take the eye off the ball' - your countries focus should be on the development plan not further efforts to continuously isolate yourself, especially in the Gulf. I don't think that Desert Girl or anyone should apologize for your country's ignorance or for finding amusement in your hypocrisy.
MAAAAAAAAN i go out to enjoy the weather and have a cup of coffee and i miss all the action...so whats the verdict is YMCA still allowed to be played on the radio or not :)
MAAAAAAAAN i go out to enjoy the weather and have a cup of coffee and i miss all the action...so whats the verdict is YMCA still allowed to be played on the radio or not :)
Anonymous 11:56 - BAM! Well stated.
12:47 - I SWEAR that song was stuck in my head all day yesterday!!!! Too funny.
Anonymous 5:23, I'm not belittling or mocking Kuwait is any way regarding this 'proposal'. Like the rest of the blogging community and even international press, I've simply laughed at how Kuwait is making a mockery of itself.
I do find it interesting how overly concerned you seem to be with this 'proposal'. We all giggle, you have an outright panic attack.
I could go on, but DG has covered everything just perfectly.
I would love be a fly on the wall at the meeting where they actually come up with the test…"so we dangle a picture of Amr Diab in front of them…..and jusssst wait!!"
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