In the Persian Gulf, LGBT persons in general hide their sexual orientation and non-conforming gender identity. Expressing them could put them at
grave risk of violence and criminal prosecution, not only to themselves but their families too, who could also suffer rejection from society. For this reason, it is common for meeting places to be clandestine and hidden. Even so, these places are often subject to police raids that result in the arrest, public exposure and prosecution on charges against morality and violation of religious customs and teachings. At the same time, local human rights institutions and associations do not include SOGI issues among their work. The media in the Persian Gulf utilise pejorative and degradative terms to refer to LGBT persons, and also uses strong hate speech, making humiliating references in LGBT individuals’ ways of dressing and behaving.