Yes, I know that’s the main problem. People, including gay men, need to understand the culture there. Homosexuality is illegal, yes, but you also have to understand the nuances of what “homosexuality” actually means in these countries.
What many people in the West understand as homosexuality is this: sex with a guy at parties on the dancefloor, going to the sauna in Berlin, naked in a darkroom with almost no space to move, standing in the middle of hundreds of naked, horny (or rather, sex-addicted, empty bodies that often struggle with erections) people. Yes, that kind of thing is illegal here. And for that reason, I don’t even see myself as a gay man.
Middle Eastern countries are actually some of the best for sex if you know what I’m talking about. You can have sex with guys who would never look at you in Europe: maybe even guys who are considered straight there. But the sex is different from typical gay sex. In Arab countries it feels more like your first gay experience: the touching, the uncertainty, the adrenaline that makes your heart race. If you’re looking for kissing and romance, you’ll be very lonely there. If you remember your first sex or fantasies and they were about kissing a guy, don’t go to these countries.
In Egypt I had sex with almost every guy I was interested in. The point is: I’m not feminine. I’m fit and masculine, and Egyptian men want to touch me the moment I talk to them on the street. They constantly say “Show me your biceps” and try to grab. I think if you look openly gay, they won’t talk to you so freely on the street because someone might see it. You have to understand this as a gay man.
Intimacy depends on mood and situation, and I guess that’s the more natural form between two men. I’m also not really accepting of this Western gay culture either, it destroys the real intimacy between two men. If you asked me, I wouldn’t say I’m gay. I have sex with men, but that doesn’t mean I live a gay cultural life.
If you’re like me, you’ll have sex with some of the best men in the Middle East. Just be a warm, friendly person. When they sense that, they give you all the affection they have. But again, this is not “gay sex.” It’s real intimacy between two men.