I have traveled quite a bit in the Gulf, ME, Turkey mostly for work, but sometimes for pleasure. I tend to agree with much of what has been said already - yes, some have exaggerated, and others have down played. Bottom line, yes, there is a sort “underground” gay network in most Gulf countries; yes, in most countries the police aren’t actively looking to bust you for activities behind closed doors; yes, you as a foreigner are susceptible to many dangers including but not limited to - entrapment, blackmail, physical abuse, a suspicious family member, colleague, hotel worker dropping a dime on you to the police, etc.. It’s not the fantasy some would like to imagine, but it’s also not a living nightmare either - tho, it potentially could be.
In my own experience, despite the offers, I never engaged in hook ups in any of the Gulf countries. I got to know a number of gay natives and expats during my business travels. Also my straight colleagues, clients, and their families. My observations are that there is a widening divide between older generations and the younger with regards to not only homosexuality, but also the governments, Sharia law, and the like. The vast majority of the younger generations have been at some point, educated abroad, been exposed to “decadent” western ideas and cultures, and brought this back home with them. Sure, there are some who are highly educated, but still hold on to some of the same ideas as the older, more conservative ones. Of course education and economics play a huge role here - granted most of my interactions with both gay and straight natives and ex-pats were with those who we’d consider professional, white collar, upper middle to upper class sorts, so my experiences and observations are definitely skewed.
While I did not engage in hook-ups, I did have a couple of FWB’s - one in Riyadh and another in Dubai. Both younger natives, gay, professionals from upper middle backgrounds who had their third level and graduate education in the West. They both lead double lives in that they both had separate Facebooks and Instagrams for family and fiends vs “family and friends”. Oddly both admitted they suspect their families know, but don’t inquire as they actually don’t want to know. As younger sons, neither feel any pressure to marry beyond the normal “when are you going to settle down” stuff. Both also have their plans to relocate from the Gulf. I’m still in regular contact with both, have met both outside the region when we’ve been traveling and it hasn’t always been for the benefits.
It’s a very complicated place, for sure - don’t expect anything remotely near how it was depicted in the SATC movie. Think more the USA 60-70 years ago as a somewhat comparable vantage point.
As for who, what these guys tend to be attracted to - like all gays, it crosses the spectrum. Yes, many tops prefer the twink types, but just as many (maybe more?) tops really go for the daddy bear types. Bottoms tend to like muscle their own age or daddies. While I have known some Arab couples, again just in my experience, it’s far more common to find a mixed couple - Arab and white.
I don’t think I’d ever live in the region but understand both the lure of phenomenal compensation packages, and building a CV could sway some, so who know. My only advice to anyone visiting or relocating anywhere in the region - be careful and don’t let the little head do your thinking.
Again, just my 2 cent observations - I don’t claim any are definitive or all encompassing, just my own.