to refuse to go on a business trip to Dubai

[ElizaDav]

I have been asked to provide my expertise on a product development project. Not part of my main responsibilities but an interesting opportunity and cool way to get more exposure in the organisation. Part of it will entail participation in a 4 day meeting with global colleagues on Dubai. Am an out and proud lesbian and definitely not a place I want to go to. Would it look bad if I refuse? Could I suggest they have the meeting in the UK (where we are HQed) or another country? I feel angry that i have been put in a position where i have to choose between career development and travelling to a homophobic and misogynistic country. Our organisation is always going on about diversity inclusion etc yet men making decisions that we should all meet in Dubai just smacks of institutional homophobia and misogyny. Arrghhh...

@BarbaraofSeville they didn't like me telling them their plans left them liable to millions!
I have friends who have lived and worked out there without issue but more of a mix in companies with a significant portion international, this company however was not.

My DH used to do oil and gas safety things including Dubai, Iraq and Saudi, they demonstrated a robotic fire fighting system for the desert removing risk to people.....when discussing price there was a response of but that's 1000 immigrant workers price and we usually just send them instead.....they were not joking!

This.

Not giving an instant no, not giving an enthusiastic yes.

But making your employers think about your and others) safety, wellbeing. A full on risk assessment + everything else. Their stated inclusiveness etc.

Making them consider if this is the right thing to do. Whether the meeting/presentation is an endorsement of such a place.

What is Home Office etc advice about going?

Then you can decide what is best for you.

I too would be reluctant to go - and I’m a straight male albeit with gay children. I wouldn’t be keen on them going either.

Please let us know what happens. Thanks

You are not being unreasonable at all.
I would also be refusing on the grounds of the UAE’s modern slavery….
travellingjezebel.com/modern-slavery-dubai/

The law changed so that couples can legally live together, so sex is not illegal. Having being raped in England and not getting justice in any way shape or form, I don't think we can hold the UK as a gold standard. Though there is definitely a need for improvement and change.

My lesbian friend just left dubai for HK after 3 years, and she had a few girlfriends here.

My gay male friend is a restaurant owner and has no issues. And he is definitely on the flamboyant side.

It most definitely not a perfect place, I am not contesting tthat, but is definitely not as is made out on here

I totally understand it, I refused ti go somewhere on a work trip that I felt compromised my ethics. They were fine with it. Can you just attend virtually?

On what accurate information to you base your last sentence?

The FCO advice is measured…boils down to PDA are a bad idea, from any sexuality. And the State can poke its nose into who you are sleeping with.

Can you draw parallel with the world Cup being held in doha and persuade leadership that as an inclusive company we should hold the conference in a different country. Its a lot for event planners to have to change but you could secure a commitment to moving events from dubai in the future. I wouldn't derail my career by refusing to attend. It's likely the hotel is already booked.

I wouldn't want to go on a trip to a place where I'd be fearful of my sexuality being discovered and possibly being arrested and thrown in jail because of it.They are potentially placing you in danger by sending you.

This hypothetical conversation came up at work the other day when we were revisiting our travel risk assessment process. The consensus was that we should support staff as a priority and allow them to refuse to travel to countries where homosexuality was illegal.

Good God

About 15 years ago I did a lot of work in the Middle East (Dubai, Egypt, Kuwait, Beirut) and ended up hating it and refusing to go on more trips. People saying ‘it’s fine’ have clearly never been there for work. I wore extremely conservative clothes the whole time but got stared and harassed constantly. My colleagues said it was my blond hair. I will never go there again on business and I cannot even fathom a vacation there.

He's planned his trip to ensure that his money goes direct to local people as far as humanly possibly, and any benefit to the govt will be vanishingly small.

But I agree with him that letting a country restrict his freedom to visit would be worse.

He's going to also be reporting back to me on what happening there re women's rights. There's been a massive loosening of restrictions on women there, but I'm not sure how much to believe and how much further they'll go.

At this point I wouldn't go to Saudi because of their treatment of women (though I very comfortably went to Iran a few years ago) so I'm hoping that the liberalisation there will continue.

Dubai isn't what it was 20 years ago, gay parties and club nights now exist. Rebel Wilson has just returned. If you are going to an international hotel you will be fine. PDAs are frowned upon regardless of gender anyway so no one should be doing it.

Marsha, this is fairly ignorant, there is no way OP could represent her sexuality in Dubai, she could be imprisoned for a long time.

OP, you have very good grounds to refuse, you shouldn't have to hide who you are for anything or anybody. I would refuse to go to Dubai on ethical grounds. It annoys me how organisations pay lip service to diversity.

Wow to the blatantly racist comments telling OP she will be lashed in public by people who probably have never set food in Dubai! Every ‘member of the free world’ I know who has traveled to Dubai has come back happy and shocked at how safe and civilised Dubai is!! OP if work is paying for it - why don’t go and check it out. Totally safe and you won’t be gang raped as soon as you land at the airport as others have suggested?!?

And those who travelled to Dubai 15 years or so ago would be shocked at how much it has changed. There are blonde women walking around in bikinis on the beach and in hotels 🙄 they aren’t being dragged out onto the street and being raped!!

Nearly two decades under my belt here, including in Saudi, Egypt, UAE and across the Levant. I’ve had a lot more shit in the UK in terms of catcalling, grabbing and sexual harassment than I’ve ever had in the region. I’m also blonde.

I have no doubt that Dubai is safe and civilised but that's because it's an oppressive regime that criminalises a lot of behaviour and has a poor record of human rights especially in relation to migrants. It's not a regime I want to support in any way.

Slightly different tack, for any lawyers here; lots of employees are asked to visit countries with a history of arbitrary arrests for alleged offences with little or no evidence.
Is there some document that we should obtain from an employer confirming that they will pay our salary for the duration (in the case of same-sex sex in Dubai, 10 years) of our detention?
I only travel within Europe currently, but most of my employment contracts allowed dismissal for gaining a criminal conviction.

YANBU. I'm straight and I wouldn't want to go there.

I’m just relating my experience. You having a different experience doesn’t invalidate mine and my opinion.

Because a lot of people don't care about others being oppressed.

Personally I'd not allow this to have a negative effect on my career. If the company are just going to send someone else to fulfill this interesting role that would boost their career instead of mine if you don't go, then I don't see what you've gained our how you've won.

You are not illegal there, as someone else seemed to think. You are going to be perfectly safe unless you have sex with a woman in public. Just go.

I wouldn't consider going to Dubai for myriad reasons.