A recent opinion article by Kuwaiti writer Ahmad al-Sarraf has sparked online controversy after he called on readers to "be more open and accepting of gay people".
The article which was published in the Kuwaiti Arabic daily Al Qabas last Wednesday has discussed the life events of English mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing who was convicted for "indecency" in 1952 for his homosexual relationship with another man he was seen with.
الكاتب أحمد الصراف:
— Gorgeous (@gorgeous4ew) March 24, 2022
يجب علينا التعايش مع المثليين ونكون أكثر إنسانية معهم! pic.twitter.com/9tCgNgMNhf
Translation: "Writer Ahmad al-Sarraf: We have to accept gays and be more humane with them."
After instructing the story of Alan Turing who ended his own life two years after the conviction, Ahmad al-Sarraf questioned the reason many countries still criminalize same-sex relationships, saying that "today's societies need to learn from history and stop persecuting people for their sexual orientations since they have existed throughout history, despite being oppressed, demonized, and killed in many instances".
Ahmad al-Sarraf then called on readers to start accepting gay people, admitting that it is "too soon to advocate for legal equality for LGBTQ+ people in the region".
Kuwait’s constitutional court overturned a law that authorities had used to prosecute transgender people, saying the statute violated Kuwaitis’ right to personal freedom. Activists hailed the ruling as a landmark for transgender rights in the Middle East.https://t.co/TlPYfSe8aA
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 17, 2022
However, al-Sarraf's article has triggered online conversations over LGBTQ+ rights in the Middle East, with conflicting views amongst conservative and liberal commentators.
While Kuwaiti laws still criminalize same-sex relationships, similar to most countries in the Middle East, its constitutional court recently made history as it overturned a law that aimed to persecute transgender people in the country.
