Imagine meeting someone on a gay dating app like Grindr or Scruff. He suggests a nearby, popular cafe, but when you arrive, police officers swoop in and arrest you. As it turns out, your beau was an undercover officer; you’re told that you’re being charged with “debauchery,” and your conversations and photos will be used as evidence against you in trial. You could end up spending six months to six years in jail, where you may be subject to torture.
And in the days following, seven alleged LGBTQ people were arrested and charged with promoting sexual deviancy
This isn’t some Orwellian hypothetical; it’s a serious reality for queer people in Egypt, and one that seems to be getting worse.
On September 22, a Lebanese rock band, Mashrou’ Leila, played a concert in Cairo. Mashrou’ Leila’s lead singer is openly gay, and some fans waved pride rainbow flags in the crowd-a serious political act in a country like Egypt, with a long history of state-sponsored queer oppression. Photos of the flag-waving incident quickly spread on social media, triggering a public outcry. Since then, human rights groups have said that more than 60 have been arrested, with some sentenced to years in prison.
Rupert Colville, a UN human rights spokesman, told the Washington Post that some have been entrapped by police using gay dating apps and chat rooms, part of a campaign of digital entrapment on the part of Egyptian authorities that’s been ongoing since 2013, when President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s government came into power. In response, the gay dating apps Grindr and Hornet are taking steps to help ensure their users’ safety in countries where they may be unsafe. Continue reading “Gay Dating Apps Are Protecting Users Amid Egypt’s LGBTQ Crackdown”