View source for LGBTQ rights in Bahrain

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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox LGBT rights
| location_header = Bahrain
| image        = Map of Bahrain.svg
| caption      = [[Bahrain]]
| legal_status = Decriminalized since 1976{{r|ILGA 2013|BNA Maan 2021|BNA 2022 Pride Response}}
| gender_identity_expression =Limited
| recognition_of_relationships = No 
| recognition_of_relationships_restrictions =
| adoption     = No
| military     = No
| discrimination_protections = No
}}
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer ([[LGBTQ community|LGBTQ]]) people living in [[Bahrain]] face legal challenges and discrimination not experienced by non-LGBT residents.{{r|ILGA 2013|albilad 2022|BNA Maan 2021|BNA 2022 Pride Response}} While same-sex sexual activity was decriminalised in 1976, laws against indecency remain and are used to target gender and sexual minorities. Offences under these provisions allow for sentences of imprisonment, fines and deportation.{{r|ussd 21}}

Individuals are able to change their legal gender in a limited range of circumstances that are assessed as being in accordance with Islamic understandings of sex and gender as transmitted by Sunni {{Transliteration|ar|[[fiqh]]}}. The state offers no protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics. LGBTQ individuals face entrenched social stigma.<ref name="2023 ussd"/><ref name="cairo52"/> Discussion of homosexuality has been permitted in Bahrain since the 1990s.

==Laws==
{{See also|Homosexuality|Gay men|Lesbian women|Bisexuality}}

===History===
{{See also|History of LGBT|LGBTQ people and Islam||||}}
Homosexual acts were first criminalised in [[Bahrain]] as "[[sodomy]]" while it was a [[History of Bahrain (1783–1971)#British Protectorate|protectorate of the British]].<ref name="ILGA 2013" /> Similar laws were imposed throughout the [[British Empire]] in nearly all of its colonies; these were mostly modelled on the original 1860 [[Section 377]], introduced in India by the [[British Raj|Raj]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gupta |first1=Alok |title=This alien legacy: The origins of "sodomy" laws in British colonialism |date=2008 |publisher=Human Rights Watch |location=New York |isbn=9781564324191 |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2008/12/17/alien-legacy/origins-sodomy-laws-british-colonialism |access-date=3 January 2023 |quote=More than 80 countries around the world still criminalize consensual homosexual conduct between adult men, and often between adult women." ... "More than half those countries have these laws because they once were British colonies.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Rao |first1=Rahul |title=Out of time: The queer politics of postcoloniality |date=2020 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=9780190865535 |pages=1–14 |chapter=Introduction: The queer politics of postcoloniality}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Arimoro |first1=Augustine Edobor |title=Interrogating the Criminalisation of Same-Sex Sexual Activity: A Study of Commonwealth Africa |journal=Liverpool Law Review |date=October 2021 |volume=42 |issue=3 |pages=379–399 |doi=10.1007/s10991-021-09280-5|doi-access=free |url=http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/42806/1/1435166_Arimoro.pdf }}</ref>

===Legality of same-sex sexual acts===
A new Penal Code was enacted in March 1976, repealing the Penal Code of the [[Persian Gulf]] that was imposed by the British.<ref name="ILGA 2013" /> The new penal code does not prohibit private, non-commercial acts of homosexuality between consenting adults; for the purposes of this law, "adults" are at least 21 years old.{{r|ilga 2020}}

Although no law explicitly criminalizes [[Same-sex relationship|same-sex relations]], authorities have used broadly-phrased penal code provisions against "indecency" and "immorality" or "debauchery" ({{Langx|ar|فجور|fujoor}}) to target these minorities.{{r|state 2017|2023 ussd|albilad 2022}}

The 2023 [[United States Department of State]]'s report said:<ref name="2023 ussd" />

{{Blockquote|text=The law did not criminalize same-sex sexual conduct between consenting adults. It prescribed fines, imprisonment, deportation, or a combination thereof for persons engaging in "debauchery" or "public indecency". The government used this provision against individuals suspected of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex (LGBTQI+) or of" cross-dressing".|title=Bahrain - United States Department of State|source=Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, or Sex Characteristics}}

===Interpretation===
According to an article published by Al-Bilad in 2022, which discussed a recent debate in Bahrain about homosexuality, sparked by an incident where a private school mistakenly distributed material perceived as promoting it.{{r|albilad 2022}} This led to calls for stricter laws and investigations.{{r|albilad 2022}} The Bahraini law already criminalizes "debauchery" and prostitution, with penalties for incitement or promotion of such acts.{{r|albilad 2022}} Article 324 of the Bahraini Penal Code criminalizes inciting or assisting "debauchery" (fujur) or prostitution, which are defined as habitual immoral acts.{{r|albilad 2022}} This law applies to individuals who promote or facilitate such acts (a woman inviting others to commit.{{r|albilad 2022}} Homosexuality is implicitly associated with "debauchery", particularly in the case of men engaging in same-sex relations. {{r|albilad 2022}} However, the law does not explicitly define or address homosexuality as a distinct crime.{{r|albilad 2022}} Lawmakers argue that homosexuality isn't explicitly addressed, creating a "legislative gap."{{r|albilad 2022}} Lawyer Mahmood Rabe'a has pointed out that Article 324 of the Penal Code penalizes anyone who incites a man or a woman to commit debauchery or prostitution, or assists in this by any means, with imprisonment.{{r|albilad 2022}} He clarified that the interpretation of this article, according to jurisprudence and judiciary, stipulates that the crime of debauchery or prostitution is only realized through engaging in indecent acts with people indiscriminately and habitually, whether involving male or female prostitution.{{r|albilad 2022}} He added that when a woman commits indecent acts ({{Langx|ar|الفحشاء}}) and offers herself to anyone without distinction, this constitutes prostitution ({{Langx|ar|بغي}}), which is attributed to women and does not come from men. Its counterpart is debauchery ({{Langx|ar|فجور|fujoor}}), which is attributed to men when they offer themselves to other men indiscriminately and habitually.{{r|albilad 2022}}

Attempts have been made to enact harsher anti-LGBTQ laws; {{as of|December 2024|lc=y}}, none have gone through. A bill proposed by some members of parliament to amend the penal code in October 2021, included renaming one of its chapters "Debauchery, Prostitution, and Perversion",{{r|albilad 2022}} and the addition of two articles criminalizing "[raising] a flag, slogan, or any sign symbolizing homosexuals", "[promoting] the ideas and beliefs of homosexuals" and "[inviting, organizing or attending] any gathering or meeting of homosexuals", punishable by up to 5 years' imprisonment and a fine of 3,000-5,000 dinars.{{r|albilad 2022}}{{efn|name="long"}} The term used in the bill to refer to homosexuals is the derogatory {{Transliteration|ar|Al-shawadh Jinsian}} ({{Langx|ar|الشواذ جنسيا}}).<ref name="Almaany shududh">{{cite news |title=معنى شذوذ |url=https://www.almaany.com/ar/dict/ar-ar/%D8%B4%D8%B0%D9%88%D8%B0/ |access-date=2022-11-27 |work=Almaany |quote=shudhudh jinsi |trans-quote=a deviation from normal sexual behaviour |script-quote=ar:شذوذ جنسيّ: انحراف عن السُّلوك الجنسيّ الطّبيعيّ}}</ref><ref name="Palmer 2012">{{cite web |last=Palmer |first=Brian |date=2012-08-16 |title=The Islamic World May Have Been a Millennium Ahead of the West in Naming Homosexuality. |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2012/08/homosexuality-and-islam-how-do-you-say-gay-in-arabic.html |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=Slate Magazine}}</ref><ref name="Clemons 2012">{{cite web |last=Clemons |first=Steve |date=2012-08-15 |title=Arabic Words for 'Gay' Need to Be Better than 'Pervert' or 'Deviant' |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/08/arabic-words-for-gay-need-to-be-better-than-pervert-or-deviant/261183/ |access-date=2022-11-27 |website=The Atlantic}}</ref>

===Relationship law===
For Bahraini Muslim citizens, marriage is defined and otherwise regulated by The National Personal Status Law (2017), which does not recognize same-sex marriages.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 July 2017 |title=Bahrain's Shura approves unified family draft law |url=https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/bahrain/bahrains-shura-approves-unified-family-draft-law-1.2061301 |access-date=2019-07-02 |website=Gulf News}}</ref>

According to an interview conducted in 2023 by Ibraheem Al-Nahham for [[Al Bilad (Bahraini newspaper)|Al-Bilad Newspaper]]; a pro-government newspaper, Bahraini lawyer Fareed Ghazi (member of "liberal party" [[Economists Bloc]] and [[Al Muntada]] [[Liberalism|liberal]] think tank) stated that Bahraini law criminalizes same-sex relationships outside the framework of traditional Islamic marriage.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=التشريع البحريني يخلو من تجريم التحول الجنسي والمحاكم لا تعترف بزواج المثليين |trans-title=Bahraini legislation does not criminalize gender transition, and the courts do not recognize same-sex marriage. |url=https://www.albiladpress.com/news/2023/5375/bahrain/815810.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712233430/https://albiladpress.com/news/2023/5375/bahrain/815810.html |archive-date=2023-07-12 |access-date=2024-09-07 |website=جريدة البلاد |language=ar}}</ref> Ghazi cited religious beliefs and cultural practices as the basis for these legal restrictions, arguing that they are consistent with the country's cultural norms, further stating that any talk about homosexuality in the Kingdom of Bahrain is a violation of Islamic law and the customs and traditions of Bahraini society (referring to the US embassy which celebrates [[Pride Month|pride month]] each year).<ref name=":3">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=C3RW1o2vLTcZaVYV&v=yLg6Oe41Jp0&feature=youtu.be |title=المثلية الجنسية مع فريد غازي {{!}} نبض الشارع |date=2023-07-02 |last=AlBilad News |access-date=2024-08-24 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> The interview did not address the existence of homosexual individuals in Bahrain or the [[Biology and sexual orientation|scientific perspectives]] on homosexuality. The LGBTQ community in Bahrain is often spoken about from a negative religious "Islamic" perspective.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Al-Jodar |first=Salah |date=2023-06-08 |script-title=ar:المثلية الجنسية بالبحرين |trans-title=Homosexuality in Bahrain |url=https://www.alayam.com/Article/courts-article/420946/Index.html |website=Al-Ayam Newspaper}}</ref> This reflects a broader pattern in some Islamic societies, where new scientific and technological developments, such as the internet, have faced resistance or controversy.{{opinion|date=January 2025}}<ref>{{Cite AV media|author=Saleh Al-Fawzan |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=LtkRWIheqjsqWSi9&v=j1wsQvObOhI&feature=youtu.be |script-title=ar:حكم إدخال الانترنت الى البيت |date=2009-10-02 |language=ar |trans-title=The ruling of bringing Internet to home |access-date=2024-08-26 |via=YouTube|id=Fatwa by Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan on the ruling on introducing the Internet to the home|type=audio recording }}</ref>

===Related penal code provisions===
*Article 324 of the penal code prohibits enticing another person to commit prostitution or "{{Transliteration|ar|fojoor}}" or "{{Transliteration|ar|fujoor}}". This translates to 'immorality' and seems to have vagueness in terms of its legal definition. It has increasingly been used to crack down on men who wear women's clothing in public.<ref>{{cite web |date=5 April 2012 |title=Bahrain jails young man for crossdressing in public |url=http://www.bnonews.com/inbox/?id=528 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118071038/http://www.bnonews.com/inbox/?id=528 |archive-date=18 January 2013 |access-date=5 April 2012 |publisher=[[BNO News]]}}</ref>
*Articles 325–327 involves forcing of others to become prostitutes.
*Article 328 of the penal code prohibits running a place for prostitution or {{Transliteration|ar|fojoor}}.<ref name="crim code">{{Citation |title=Bahrain Penal Code, 1976 |url=https://menarights.org/sites/default/files/2016-12/BHR_PenalCode_1976.EN_.pdf |access-date=2021-01-04 |via=Menarights}}</ref>
*Article 329 of the penal code prohibits people from public solicitation involving prostitution or {{Transliteration|ar|fujoor}}.<ref name="crim code" />
*Article 330 of the penal code states that anyone who is charged with an act of prostitution or {{Transliteration|ar|fujoor}} is to be taken to a hospital and tested for sexually transmitted diseases. If they have such diseases, the law stipulates that they be relocated to a medical facility for treatment.<ref name="crim code" />
*Article No. 350 of the Penal Code of Decree Law No. 15 of 1976 prohibits any sort of public indecency. The punishment for those “imitating the opposite sex” can reach up to a year in prison with 100 BHD fines.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-27 |title=الحبس سنة وغرامة 100 دينار للمتشبهين بالنساء والرجال |trans-title=One year imprisonment and a fine of 100 dinars for those who imitate women and men |url=https://www.albiladpress.com/news/2024/5583/bahrain/847029.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127033822/https://www.albiladpress.com/amp/article/847029.html |archive-date=2024-01-27 |access-date=2024-08-24 |website=www.albiladpress.com |quote=السؤال:ما عقوبة المتشبهين بالنساء والمتشبهات بالرجال؟  المحامي‭ ‬تقي‭ ‬حسين‭: ‬تنص‭ ‬المادة‭ ‬رقم‭ ‬350‭ ‬من‭ ‬قانون‭ ‬العقوبات‭ ‬من‭ ‬المرسوم‭ ‬بقانون‭ ‬رقم‭ ‬15‭ ‬لسنة‭ ‬1976‭ ‬بالعقوبة‭ ‬المقررة‭ ‬لكل‭ ‬ذكر‭ ‬تشبه‭ ‬بالنساء‭ ‬وكل‭ ‬امرأة‭ ‬تشبهت‭ ‬بالذكور،‭ ‬والعقوبة‭ ‬الحبس‭ ‬لمدة‭ ‬لا‭ ‬تزيد‭ ‬على‭ ‬سنة‭ ‬والغرامة‭ ‬التي‭ ‬لا‭ ‬تتجاوز‭ ‬100‭ ‬دينار‭ ‬لمن‭ ‬أتى‭ ‬علنا‭ ‬بفعل‭ ‬مخل‭ ‬بالحياء،‭ ‬كما‭ ‬تكون‭ ‬العقوبة‭ ‬ذاتها‭ ‬لمن‭ ‬ارتكب‭ ‬فعلاً‭ ‬مخلاً‭ ‬بالحياء‭ ‬مع‭ ‬أنثى‭ ‬ولو‭ ‬في‭ ‬غير‭ ‬علانية،‭ ‬حيث‭ ‬إن‭ ‬ممارسة‭ ‬فعل‭ ‬التشبه‭ ‬بالجنس‭ ‬الآخر‭ ‬هو‭ ‬أمر‭ ‬مجرم‭ ‬ويعد‭ ‬تحريضًا‭ ‬على‭ ‬الفجور‭ ‬وفقاً‭ ‬لنص‭ ‬المادة‭ ‬رقم‭ ‬329‭ ‬من‭ ‬قانون‭ ‬العقوبات‭ ‬من‭ ‬المرسوم‭ ‬بقانون‭ ‬رقم‭ ‬15‭ ‬لسنة‭ ‬1976. ويعاقب‭ ‬بالحبس‭ ‬لمدة‭ ‬لا‭ ‬تتجاوز‭ ‬عامين‭ ‬لكل‭ ‬من‭ ‬حرض‭ ‬علناً‭ ‬في‭ ‬مكان‭ ‬عام‭ ‬على‭ ‬ممارسة‭ ‬الفجور‭ ‬أو‭ ‬الدعارة،‭ ‬وذلك‭ ‬عبر‭ ‬الإغراء‭ ‬أو‭ ‬بالدعوة‭ ‬والإعلان‭ ‬أو‭ ‬لفت‭ ‬الأنظار‭ ‬من‭ ‬قبل‭ ‬المحرض‭ ‬على‭ ‬أعمال‭ ‬الرذيلة‭. ‬وعليه‭ ‬استنادا‭ ‬إلى‭ ‬ما‭ ‬ذكر‭ ‬فإن‭ ‬الفعل‭ ‬المراد‭ ‬تجريمه‭ ‬يعتبر‭ ‬متضمناً‭ ‬بما‭ ‬ذكر‭ ‬في‭ ‬قانون‭ ‬العقوبات،‭ ‬لاسيما‭ ‬أن‭ ‬مقصد‭ ‬الشارع‭ ‬من‭ ‬التحريض‭ ‬على‭ ‬الفجور‭ ‬هو‭ ‬مجرد‭ ‬الدعوة‭ ‬أو‭ ‬لفت‭ ‬النظر‭ ‬إلى‭ ‬ذلك،‭ ‬لأنها‭ ‬من‭ ‬جرائم‭ ‬الاعتداء‭ ‬على‭ ‬الحياء‭ ‬العام‭ ‬فيتحقق‭ ‬بمجرد‭ ‬ارتكاب‭ ‬أفعال‭ ‬أو‭ ‬إبداء‭ ‬أقوال‭ ‬تهدف‭ ‬بذاتها‭ ‬إلى‭ ‬تنبيه‭ ‬الذهن‭ ‬إلى‭ ‬أن‭ ‬هناك‭ ‬شخصا‭ ‬مستعدا‭ ‬للفجور‭ ‬بالطريق‭ ‬العام‭ ‬سواء‭ ‬صدر‭ ‬من‭ ‬ذكور‭ ‬أو‭ ‬إناث‭.‬ |trans-quote=Question: What is the punishment for those who imitate women and men? Lawyer Taqi Hussein: Article 350 of the Penal Code of Decree-Law No. 15 of 1976 stipulates the penalty for any male who imitates a woman and any woman who imitates a male, and the penalty is imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding 100 dinars for anyone who publicly commits an indecent act. The same penalty shall apply to anyone who commits an indecent act with a female, even in a non-public manner, as practicing the act of imitating the opposite sex is a criminal act and is considered an incitement to debauchery according to the text of Article 329 of the Penal Code of Decree-Law No. 15 of 1976. Anyone who publicly incites in a public place to practice debauchery or prostitution, through enticement or by calling and advertising or drawing attention by the inciter to acts of vice, shall be punished with imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years. Accordingly, based on what was mentioned, the act intended to be criminalized is considered included in what was mentioned in the Penal Code, especially since the intent of the legislator in incitement to debauchery is merely calling or drawing attention Considering this, because it is a crime of assault on public decency, it is achieved by simply committing actions or expressing statements that aim in themselves to alert the mind to the fact that there is a person ready to commit immorality in the public road, whether it is from males or females.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-20 |title=الحبس سنة وغرامة 1000 دينار للمتشبهين بالجنس الآخر |trans-title=One year imprisonment and a fine of 1000 dinars for those who imitate the opposite sex |url=https://alwatannews.net/ampArticle/739777 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240824151118/https://alwatannews.net/ampArticle/739777 |archive-date=2024-08-24 |access-date=2024-08-24 |website=Al-Watan Newspaper}}</ref> This could pose serious risks for any individual that do not fit with societal norms and expectations (appearance wise).<ref name="crim code" />
*Article 354 of the penal code prohibits cursing or using words or signs on a street or other public place for the purposes of indulging in immoral behaviour.<ref name="crim code" />

Penalties for convictions under the morality or indecency provisions are prison sentences ranging from 3 months to 2 years, fines of up to {{currency|amount=200|code=BHD|first=y}}, deportation for non-Bahrainis, or a combination.<ref name="2023 ussd" />

Articles 324, 329 and 350 can be used against homosexuals, transgender people, or any other Queer individuals, as any citizen acting in a way deemed contrary to [[morality in Islam|Islamic morality]] may be arrested. For example: a local same-sex couple showing affection in public; someone owning a rainbow flag; or even declaring one's own homosexuality, could all be considered public immorality and promoting "{{Transliteration|ar|fujoor}}".<ref name="Freedom of Thought Report 2019">{{cite web |date=2019-04-28 |title=Bahrain |url=https://fot.humanists.international/countries/asia-western-asia/bahrain/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428045734/https://fot.humanists.international/countries/asia-western-asia/bahrain/ |archive-date=2019-04-28 |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=Freedom of Thought Report}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-16 |title=Arab Gulf countries crack down on homosexuality |url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-725092 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603095150/https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-725092 |archive-date=2023-06-03 |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en}}</ref>

==Gender identity and expression==
{{See also|Gender identity|Gender-affirming surgery}}

===Gender change recognition===
In 2017, the United States Department of State described processes for gender change recognition in Bahrain this way:<ref name="state 2017" />
{{blockquote|On rare occasions, courts approved the issuance of new legal documents for those who have undergone gender reassignment surgeries. On 23 November, the courts denied a citizen who underwent gender reassignment surgery the right to change his name and identity documents to match his sex; the case was still pending final appeal before the Court of Cassation as at year's end.}} The State Department's 2023 report said:<ref name="2023 ussd" />
{{blockquote|Courts permitted individuals to change their gender identity markers on legal and identifying national documents to bring them into alignment with their gender identity (as male or female). Individuals had to provide medical documentation of a "sex change operation" or medical necessity. Nonbinary, intersex, or gender nonconforming options were not available.}}
Two such "rare cases" in the 2000s were those of individuals designated female at birth who identified as male. One,
having undergone a genital reconstruction surgery, was reported by the ''[[Gulf Daily News]]'' in 2006 as going to court in a bid to have his status as a man recognised in law. The legal case progressed through the Bahraini legal system until 2008, when the court granted the motion to allow the transgender man to change his legal documents and be recognised as male. The man's lawyer had earlier won a landmark 2005 case where a transgender Bahraini had undergone sex-confirming surgery and was legally recognised as a man. In both cases, the individuals concerned, although raised as females, were intersex or had some degree of genital or reproductive organ ambiguity.<ref name=":8">{{cite news|url=http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_Articles.asp?Article=170883&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=29341&date=2/24/2007 |title=Sex change woman faces cash crisis|first1=Geoffrey |last1=Bew |work=Gulf Daily News|archive-date=28 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080628165506/http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_Articles.asp?Article=170883&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=29341&date=2/24/2007|date=9 March 2009 |access-date=20 January 2011}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite news|last=Setrakian|first=Lara|date=2007-06-30|title= Legal Landmark: Bahrain Recognizes Sex Change |url= https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=5203120&page=1 |access-date=2022-08-06|work=ABC News}}</ref>

In 2023, Bahraini courts gave a ruling, in rejecting a transgender man's application, that access to sex reassignment medical procedures was against Islamic law in cases considered to be solely related to [[gender dysphoria]]; only individuals with some degree of intersex biological traits should be eligible for gender-confirming procedures, and thereafter legal recognition of gender change.<ref name="cairo52">{{citation |last1=Noralla |first1=Nora |title=Bahrain: Continued Denial of Legal Gender Recognition and Gender-affirming Healthcare for Transgender People in the Name of Islamic Sharia |url=https://cairo52.com/2024/02/07/bahrain-continued-denial-of-legal-gender-recognition-and-gender-affirming-healthcare-for-transgender-people-in-the-name-of-islamic-sharia/ |work=Cairo 52 Legal Research Institute |date=7 February 2024}}</ref>

==Government policies and actions==

The [[Al-Menbar Islamic Society]] is one of the more successful political factions within the Parliament, it has pushed for more conservative social policies, including a crackdown on LGBTQ people.<ref name="Alwasat AlMenbar 2004">{{cite web | last=المحلية | first=الوسط – محرر الشئون | title='المنبر الإسلامي' تثمّن منع حفل المثليين | website=[[Al-Wasat (Bahraini newspaper)|Al-Wasat]] | date=2004-01-09 | url=http://www.alwasatnews.com/news/365529.html | language=ar | access-date=2022-11-30}}</ref><ref name="Al-Menbar 2022">{{cite web | title='المنبر الإسلامي' تطالب بتشريع يمنع الترويج للشذوذ والمنكرات في الإعلام وتدعو إلى محاسبة المسؤول عن عرض فيلم يدعم الفاحشة – جمعية المنبر الوطني الإسلامي | website=جمعية المنبر الوطني الإسلامي – جمعية سياسية – مملكة البحرين | date=2022-09-30 | url=https://almenber.bh/?p=3970 | language=ar | access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref>

In response to questions from parliament about lesbianism in schools, the Assistant Under-Secretary for Educational Services Khalid Al Alawi has said that the Education Ministry is not responsible for addressing issues of sexuality, and instead it is the responsibility of parents to take care of their children's emotional development, and that "The public shouldn't make a big deal out of this problem because it does not exist."  Also, he said "{{nbsp}}... the students are facing{{nbsp}}... [the] category of educational problems, not immoral acts. If a student's appearance is contrary to custom and the school's values, then {{nbsp}}... those violating the school's rules should be disciplined."<ref>{{cite news |date=24 February 2007|url=http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_Articles.asp?Article=170887&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=29341&date=2/24/2007 |title=Schools 'not responsible for dealing with issue of sexuality' |access-date=20 January 2011 |work=Gulf Daily News |volume=XXIX |number=341 |archive-date=28 June 2008|quote= Mr Al Alawi said that 'As for the question that has been raised in the Press about the so-called problem of lesbianism, as a ministry we cannot talk about a widespread phenomenon and we can't call them lesbians. The problems that the students are facing are put into the category of educational problems, not immoral acts. If a student's appearance is contrary to custom and the school's values, then the only thing we can say is that those violating the school's rules should be disciplined.' |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080628165530/https://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_Articles.asp?Article=170887&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=29341&date=2/24/2007|language=en}} {{in lang|en}}</ref>

In 2008, a harsher crackdown on same-sex sexual acts was called for by members of the [[Al-Menbar Progressive Democratic Society|Al Menbar]] parliamentary bloc. The government was asked to conduct an official study into the problem of same-sex sexual acts and how to best combat them. The initial response from the government was:
* The Interior Minister says that "suspected" (effeminate) homosexuals are banned from entering Bahrain by checks at the airport.<ref name="gulf-daily-news1">{{cite news|url=http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=208647 |department=Local News|title=Gays to face new clamp |work=Gulf Daily News |date=14 February 2008 |access-date=20 January 2011}}</ref>
* The Interior Minister says that many male homosexuals choose a profession in hairdressing salons and beauty and massage spas, which the Minister says are often inspected.<ref name="gulf-daily-news1"/>

Other pending bills would expressly ban LGBTQ foreigners from entering the kingdom or receiving residency permits as well as plans to instruct children's teachers in apparent warning signs of homosexuality or cross-dressing, so that the children can be punished.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asylumlaw.org/docs/sexualminorities/Bahrain042308.pdf |title=Sexual Minorities: Bahrain |access-date=2011-01-17|website=Asylum Law.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927214948/http://www.asylumlaw.org/docs/sexualminorities/Bahrain042308.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2011 }}</ref>

In September 2013, it was announced that all [[Gulf Cooperation Council|Gulf Cooperative Countries]] had agreed to discuss a proposal to establish some form of, yet unknown, testing in order to ban gay foreigners from entering any of the countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lgbtweekly.com/2013/10/08/gulf-cooperation-countries-to-test-detect-then-ban-gays-from-entering-their-countries/|title=Gulf Cooperation Countries to test, detect then ban gays from entering their countries|website=LGBTWeekly.com|access-date=6 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008205203/http://lgbtweekly.com/2013/10/08/gulf-cooperation-countries-to-test-detect-then-ban-gays-from-entering-their-countries/|archive-date=8 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/09/gulf-countries-detect-gays_n_4065927.html|title=Gulf Countries Propose Test To 'Detect' Gays, Ban Them From Entering|work=Huffington Post|author=Cavan Sieczkowski|date=10 September 2013|access-date=14 August 2015}}</ref> However, it has been suggested that concern for hosting [[2022 FIFA World Cup]] in [[Qatar]], and fears for controversy in a case that football fans would have been screened, made officials backtrack the plans and insist that it was a mere proposal.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kuwaiti authorities arrest 23 'cross-dressers and homosexuals'|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/kuwaiti-authorities-arrest-23-cross-dressers-and-homosexuals-106994114|website=[[Middle East Eye]]|date=13 February 2015|access-date=31 May 2016}}</ref>

In 2018, during its participation in the meeting of the Democracy and Human Rights Committee, the Parliamentary Division of the Kingdom of Bahrain objected to the re-raising of the issue "regarding the role of parliaments in ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, and respecting the rights of gays, bisexuals, transgender people, and intersex persons". The deputy d. Jamila al-Sammak, a member of the Parliamentary Division, said that "this proposal contradicts the natural composition of life, which consists of a man and a woman, just as all monotheistic religions, foremost among which the Islamic religion, have prohibited homosexuality and considered it a departure from the natural scope and the proper formation of life. Therefore, the Division believes that it is necessary to respect the privacy of societies in that matter."<ref name="Alayam.com 2018">{{cite web | title=السماك: البحرين تعترض على مناقشة دور البرلمانات فـي احتــرام حقـوق المثليين | website=Alayam.com | date=2018-03-28 | url=https://www.alayam.com/alayam/Parliament/719593/News.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812233259/https://www.alayam.com/alayam/Parliament/719593/News.html | archive-date=2022-08-12 | url-status=live | language=ar | access-date=2022-11-22}}</ref>

In June 2021, the [[Embassy of the United States, Manama|US Embassy]] and members of the [[Naval Support Activity Bahrain|US Navy base]] in Bahrain, celebrated Pride Month by raising the rainbow flag and posting about it on social media,<ref name="BH US Embassy 2021">{{cite web | author=Manama | title=We Celebrate Diversity | website=U.S. Embassy in Bahrain | date=2021-06-11 | url=https://bh.usembassy.gov/we-celebrate-diversity/ | access-date=2022-11-20}}</ref><ref name="Stromko Bahrain 2022">{{cite web | last1=Stromko | first1=Brittany R. |website=Naval Press Office| id=Bahrain Victims' Legal Counsel | title=Pride Month: It's Hard to Be What You Don't See. Why LGBTQ Visibility Matters. | publisher=United States Navy | date=2022-07-15 | url-status=dead | url=https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/3076875/pride-month-its-hard-to-be-what-you-dont-see-why-lgbtq-visibility-matters/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715010400/https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/3076875/pride-month-its-hard-to-be-what-you-dont-see-why-lgbtq-visibility-matters/ | archive-date=2022-07-15 | access-date=2022-11-22}}</ref> prompting [[State media|the state]]'s [[Bahrain News Agency]] (BNA) and all local newspapers to publish several articles in Arabic condemning homosexuality, homosexuals, and even the US embassy.<ref name="الصديقي 2021">{{cite web | last=الصديقي | first=فاطمة | title=لا.. لمجتمع الميم | website=Watan | date=2021-12-08 | url=https://alwatannews.net/article/978405/الرأي/لا-لمجتمع-الميم | language=ar | access-date=2022-11-20}}</ref><ref name="BNA Al">{{multiref2|1={{cite news | work=BNA | title=الشيخ الحادي: الشذوذ قضية تم تجميلها باسم المثلية | date=2021-12-05 | access-date=2022-11-20 | url= https://www.bna.bh/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B0%D9%88%D8%B0%D9%82%D8%B6%D9%8A%D8%A9%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AB%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9.aspx?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDiip9jsA5p4ehuL2Ssa0gAc%3D | url-status=live| language=ar| archive-date =2022-08-11 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220811133509/https://www.bna.bh/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B0%D9%88%D8%B0%D9%82%D8%B6%D9%8A%D8%A9%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AB%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9.aspx?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDiip9jsA5p4ehuL2Ssa0gAc%3D}}
|2={{cite news | work=BNA | title=العرادي: المواد الإعلامية التي تستهدف تطبيع الشذوذ الجنسي مخالفة لتعاليم الأديان | url=https://www.bna.bh/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%AA%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%B7%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B0%D9%88%D8%B0%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%A9%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86.aspx?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDv5o7N%2FkBmQjKCbQBgjJa1A%3D | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205145127/https://www.bna.bh/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%AA%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%B7%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B0%D9%88%D8%B0%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%A9%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86.aspx?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDv5o7N%2FkBmQjKCbQBgjJa1A%3D | archive-date=2021-12-05 | language=ar | access-date=2022-11-20}}
|3={{cite news | title=الأصالة تثمن بيان الأعلى للشؤون الإسلامية بشأن فاحشة الشذوذ الجنسي وتدعو للتصدي لهذا الانحراف الخطير | url=https://www.bna.bh/الأصالةتثمنبيانالأعلىللشؤونالإسلاميةبشأنفاحشةالشذوذالجنسيوتدعوللتصديلهذاالانحرافالخطير.aspx?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDlcBvyBQlYWdg51HxJRTP%2BU%3D | work=BNA |archive-date=2022-08-11 | language=ar | access-date=2022-11-20 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220811134507/https://www.bna.bh/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9%D8%AA%D8%AB%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89%D9%84%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A4%D9%88%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9%D8%A8%D8%B4%D8%A3%D9%86%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%B4%D8%A9%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B0%D9%88%D8%B0%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%AF%D8%B9%D9%88%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%87%D8%B0%D8%A7%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%B7%D9%8A%D8%B1.aspx?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDlcBvyBQlYWdg51HxJRTP%2BU%3D}} }}</ref>

On December 6, 2021, the [[Shura Council (Bahrain)|Shura Council]] of Bahrain publicly reinforced the country's conservative stance on sexual orientation and gender identity by declaring that homosexuality is contrary to human values and religious principles. This statement aligns with Bahrain's legal framework, which emphasizes personal freedoms while prohibiting behaviours considered immoral, as outlined in the Constitution and the National Action Charter. As a result, LGBTQ individuals in Bahrain face significant legal and social challenges due to these entrenched attitudes and regulations.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVRpNNABB2A |title=البحرين مركز الأخبار : مجلس الشورى يؤكد أن ظاهرة الشذوذ الجنسي سلوك ينافي القيم الإنسانية 06-12-2021 |date=2021-12-06 |last=Bahrain TV News Center تلفزيون البحرين مركز الأخبار |access-date=2024-06-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240623115020/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVRpNNABB2A |archive-date=2024-06-23 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

On February 14, 2024, the [[Ministry of Education (Bahrain)|Ministry of Education in Bahrain]] decided to refer the administration of a private school and its entire board of directors to investigation. The directive also included the dismissal of the private school's general manager. This decision came in light of a controversial video in which several students performed a scene that included suggestive gestures.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=تغريدة يوسف الجمري|url=https://twitter.com/YusufAlJamri/status/1757439413305463282|website=[[Twitter]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620202833/https://x.com/YusufAlJamri/status/1757439413305463282|archive-date=2024-06-20|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=البحرين.. فيديو مثير للجدل يروج للمثلية الجنسية وإيحاءات شاذة (شاهد) |trans-title=Bahrain: Controversial video promotes homosexuality and abnormal insinuations (Watch) |url=https://www.watanserb.com/2024/02/14/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%88-%D9%85%D8%AB%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%84-%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AC-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AB%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241126005027/https://www.watanserb.com/2024/02/14/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%88-%D9%85%D8%AB%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%84-%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AC-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AB%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9/ |archive-date=2024-11-26 |website=Watan news LLC |language=ar |publication-place=[[United States of America]]}}</ref> The scene depicted students enjoying themselves, with two male students pretending to propose to each other in class while other students cheered and had fun. The girl who recorded the video belongs to the [[Achomi people|Achomi]] ethnic [[Ajam of Bahrain|minority]], whose roots are from [[Kuhij]]. Her family is well-known and respected in Bahrain.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Kooheji Family |url=https://canadianschoolbh.com/about-us/about-kooheji-family/ |access-date=2024-09-07 |website=Canadian School Bahrain |language=en-US}}</ref> The social reaction from the community was overwhelmingly negative and deemed disproportionate.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The incident sparked a significant debate on social media and other platforms, raising questions about cultural norms, societal reactions, and the treatment of minority groups in Bahrain.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

==Living conditions==

=== Derogatory terminology ===
Arabic publications in Bahrain and the majority of [[Arabic]]-speaking [[Islamic countries]], including laws, commonly refer to homosexuality and homosexuals as:

*'''Shudhudh''' ({{Langx|ar|شذوذ}}) or '''Shudhudh Jinsi''' ({{Langx|ar|[[:ar:شذوذ جنسي|شذوذ جنسي]]}}): used to refer to sexual [[paraphilia]]s respectively.{{r|albilad 2022|Almaany shududh|Clemons 2012|Palmer 2012|Al-Menbar 2022}}<ref name="BNA 2022 Shamsan">{{cite web |date=2022-08-22 |title=صفية شمسان: أهمية الوقوف ضد الشذوذ ومنع الترويج له من خلال إعلام مدسوس وممنهج |url=https://bna.bh/news?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDvIIRQWqmeX3PxIv3pZa2Dg%3D |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822115403/https://bna.bh/news?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDvIIRQWqmeX3PxIv3pZa2Dg%3D |archive-date=2022-08-22 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=BNA |language=ar}}</ref><ref name="Watan 2022">{{cite web |date=2022-01-03 |title=هل للجينات دور في الشذوذ الجنسي؟.. مركز البحوث والتواصل المعرفي يجيب |url=https://alwatannews.net/article/982742/Life-Style/هل-للجينات-دور-في-الشذوذ-الجنسي-مركز-البحوث-والتواصل-المعرفي-يجيب |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103151732/https://alwatannews.net/article/982742/Life-Style/%D9%87%D9%84-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B1-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B0%D9%88%D8%B0-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%AB-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%A8 |archive-date=2022-01-03 |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=Watan |language=ar}}</ref> This is intentionally done to link homosexuals to pedophiles and other paraphilias.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-07-30 |title=تشريعاتنا العربية وتجريم الفعل المِثلي |trans-title=Our Arab legislation and the criminalization of homosexual acts |url=https://ahwaa.org/t/topic/135?lang=ar |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=Ahwaa |language=ar |quote=اغلب القضايا التي عُرضت على المحاكم والتي يكون فيها أساس الاتهام علاقة مثلية او حتى تصرف مثلي او شخص ذا ميول مثلية لم يعشها بعد تقوم بربط الفعل المثلي بتصرفات وسلوكيات اخرى تفقده الفعل الخصوصي (الحميمي)ليصبح فعلاً فاضحاً- مرتذلاً- شاذاً غير اخلاقي وخطير على المجتمع والافراد لان المثلي يمكن ( ان يغتصب ويعتدي ويتحرش بالأطفال-يبتز الاشخاص- يقلب قواعد الطبيعة- يزعزع استقرار المجتمع ومن المحتمل ان يتسبب المثليون في امراض تشكل خطورة على حياة الاصحاء) كل هذه العبارات وردت في الاحكام الصادرة عن مختلف المحاكم العربية بشأن قَضايا حُكم فيها على تصرفات مثلية ورد بعضها في محاضر بحث وتصريحات |trans-quote=Most of the cases brought before the courts in which the basis of the accusation is a homosexual relationship or even homosexual behavior or a person with homosexual tendencies who has not yet experienced it, link the homosexual act to other actions and behaviors that make it lose its private (intimate) act and become a scandalous, vulgar, deviant, immoral and dangerous act for society and individuals because the homosexual can (rape, assault and molest children - blackmail people - overturn the rules of nature - destabilize society and it is possible that homosexuals cause diseases that pose a danger to the lives of healthy people) All of these phrases were mentioned in the rulings issued by various Arab courts regarding cases in which homosexual behavior was ruled upon, some of which were mentioned in research reports and statements}}</ref>
*'''Shadh Jinsian''' ({{Langx|ar|شاذ جنسيا}} – singular), '''Shawadh Jinsian''' ({{Langx|ar|شواذ جنسيا}} – plural): meaning sexual paraphilic(s).
*'''Shadh''' ({{Langx|ar|شاذ}} – singular), and '''Shawadh''' ({{Langx|ar|شواذ}} – plural): meaning paraphilic(s), pervert(s) or deviant(s).
These terms denote "sexual paraphilia, perversion or deviation" such as [[pedophilia]];{{r|Almaany shududh}} when used to refer to "homosexuals" they have derogatory and dehumanizing connotations.{{r|Palmer 2012|Clemons 2012}}
Other derogatory terms include:
*'''Lewat''' ({{Langx|ar|لواط}})- equivalent to "[[sodomy]]", in reference to the Biblical and Quranic figure [[Lot (biblical person)|Lot]].{{r|Palmer 2012}}
*'''Luti''' ({{Langx|ar|لوطي}}) – equivalent to "sodomite."{{r|Palmer 2012}}
In contrast, non-derogatory terms are available, like:
*'''Mithleyya Jinsia''' ({{Langx|ar|[[:ar:مثلية جنسية|مثلية جنسية]]}}) which exclusively means ''homosexuality''.{{r|Palmer 2012|Clemons 2012}}
*'''Mithley-yeen''' ({{Langx|ar|مثليين}}) which exclusively means ''homosexuals''.
*'''Mithley''' ({{Langx|ar|مثلي}}) which means ''gay''.
*'''Mithleya''' ({{Langx|ar|مثلية}}) which means ''lesbian''.

=== Incidents and enforcement ===
A government crackdown against cross-dressing appears to have begun a year after the 2008 call by members of the Al Menbar parliamentary bloc for harsher action on same-sex behaviour. In 2009, two Asian foreigners were sentenced to six months in jail, with hard labour and later deportation, for offering to have sex with undercover police offices in exchange for money at a male barbershop.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gay Arrests in Muslim Countries |date=25 January 2009 |agency=UK Gay News |url=https://www.mambaonline.com/2009/01/25/gay-arrests-in-muslim-countries/ |work=MambaOnline |department=Gay South Africa online}} Citing:
* {{cite web |title=Gay Bahrain News & Reports – 9. Men's Barbershop Became a Cruising Gay Scene |url=https://archive.globalgayz.com/middle-east/bahrain/gay-bahrain-news-and-reports/#article9 |website=Globalgayz |id=[archive]|postscript=none}}, an English summary of:
** {{cite news |url=https://www.alwaqt.com/blog_art.php?baid=146974 |date=14 January 2009 |script-title=ar: صالون الحلاقة للرجال أصبح مشهدًا للمثليين |language=ar |newspaper=Alwaqht}}</ref> In February 2009, a 39-year-old man was sentenced to a month in jail for wearing women's clothing in public, namely an [[abaya]] and purse.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2009-02-13|title='Cross-dressing' man is latest victim of Bahrain's morality purge|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/02/13/cross-dressing-man-is-latest-victim-of-bahrains-morality-purge/|access-date=2021-06-01|work=PinkNews}}</ref>

In 2011, police raided a party that was described in the press as a same-sex wedding ceremony.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-02-07 |title=Dozens Arrested in Bahrain Gay Party Bust |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bahrain-gay-arrests-_n_819493 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813084129/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bahrain-gay-arrests_n_819493 |archive-date=2023-08-13 |access-date=2019-07-02 |work=HuffPost}}</ref><ref name="U.S. 2011">{{cite news |date=2011-02-09 |title=Bahrain arrests 200 men at gay party |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-54770520110209 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123153148/https://www.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-54770520110209/ |archive-date=2022-11-23 |access-date=2022-11-23 |work=Reuters News India |agency=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>

===False accusations===

Sometimes false accusations of homosexuality, or anti-gay innuendos, are levied against critics of the Bahraini government in an effort to discredit political or sectarian dissent. In a society where being gay is widely perceived as a vice or bad habit, accusing people of being gay, even in jest, can be an effective means of bullying reformers.

Human rights advocate Nabeel Rajab has been subjected to such accusations by people on social media. Similar insults have been launched at Sheikh Ali Salman, with some Twitter users referring to his Shia political party as "Al Wefag".<ref name="al-bab.com">{{Cite web|url=https://al-bab.com/blog/2014/12/homophobia-and-nationalism-too-gay-represent-bahrain|title=Homophobia and nationalism 'Too gay to represent Bahrain'|website=al-bab.com|date=16 December 2014 |access-date=2019-07-02}}</ref>

Similarly, false accusations were circulated about the 2011 pro-democracy protesters gathered in Pearl Square. Participants of the protests were accused of engaging in all sorts of sexual immorality in an effort to discredit the protesters' demands.<ref name="al-bab.com"/>

==Public opinion and media coverage==
{{overly detailed|section|date=February 2025}}
{{synthesis|section|date=February 2025}}

According to the World Values Survey in 2011, 42% of Bahraini people believed that "homosexuality is never justified", which was lower than the world average of 48% who agreed with that statement. It was also more accepting than any other Arab countries surveyed. The same survey found that 18% of Bahraini people "would not like to have homosexuals as neighbours" which was among the lowest percentage in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSDocumentationWV6.jsp|title=WVS Database|website=worldvaluessurvey.org|access-date=2019-07-02}}</ref>

Some of the more liberal and left-aligned lawful political groups within Bahrain have expressed opposition to introducing Sharia law into the Bahraini penal code, but none have expressed support for LGBTQ rights.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

In June 2021, the [[List of diplomatic missions of the United States|United States Embassy in Bahrain]] faced public criticism following its decision to raise the [[Rainbow flag (LGBTQ)|rainbow flag]] in recognition of [[Pride Month|LGBTQ Pride Month]]. In Bahrain, as in [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|other Gulf states]], [[homosexuality]] remains a highly sensitive and controversial subject. The flag's display prompted members of the [[National Assembly (Bahrain)|Bahraini National Assembly]] to issue a statement condemning the act, describing it as a "provocative action".<ref>{{Cite web |title=US embassy in Bahrain triggers outrage after raising rainbow flag |url=https://amwaj.media/media-monitor/pen-mm-us-embassy-in-bahrain-raises-lgbtq-flag-triggering-local-outrage |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Amwaj.media |language=en}}</ref>

In December 2021, the President of the Bahraini Educators Union, Safia Shamsan, described the statement of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and its support for the statement of [[Al-Azhar al-Sharif|Al-Azhar]] as "a right stance that we all support". And she explained that "what is constant in the laws of the earth is the common sense that [[Allah]] instilled in us and that is reinforced and protected by the heavenly religions". Shamsan claimed that it is "important to stand against the issue of {{Transliteration|ar|alshudhudh aljinsi}} [homosexuality] and preventing its promotion through a systematic and fraudulent media".<ref name="BNA 2022 Shamsan" />

In the same year, Ma'an ({{langx|ar|معاً}}), a Bahraini [[human rights]] organization, issued an article on BNA in Arabic titled "We support the statement of the Islamic Supreme Council and call for respect for Islamic and societal values", calling for "protection of society from all manifestations of {{Transliteration|ar|Shudhudh}} (sexual deviance) and attacks on Islamic and societal principles and values."<ref name="BNA Maan 2021" /> BNA and the local Bahraini newspapers accused Qatar of "promoting homosexuality" in the then upcoming [[FIFA World Cup]].<ref name="Alayam.com 2022">{{cite web |date=2022-04-04 |title=المثليّة بمونديال قطر تُثير غضب أبناء الشعب القطري |url=https://www.alayam.com/alayam/first/955398/News.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403231622/https://www.alayam.com/alayam/first/955398/News.html |archive-date=2022-04-03 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=Alayam.com |language=ar}}</ref><ref name="BNA 2022 Anti-Qatar propaganda">{{cite web |date=2022-08-11 |title=رشاوى وتنازلات أخلاقية.. مونديال قطر 2022.. انتهاكات صارخة للقيم الإنسانية والدينية والعربية |url=https://www.bna.bh/news?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDm76KYGefOCF77IuSPqsQGI%3D |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811135103/https://www.bna.bh/news?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDm76KYGefOCF77IuSPqsQGI%3D |archive-date=11 August 2022 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=BNA}}</ref>

In June 2022, coinciding with pride month again, the US Embassy raised a [[Rainbow flag (LGBTQ)|rainbow flag]] and celebrated pride on their social media accounts, which instigated [[Bahrain News Agency|BNA]] and all local government allied newspapers (including [[Al Ayam (Bahrain)|''Al-Ayam'']]; a self-identified [[Liberalism|liberal]] newspaper) to publish several articles (in Arabic) condemning, attacking homosexuals (and labeling them as "{{Transliteration|ar|Shawadh}}" lit: 'paraphilic', 'perverted' or 'deviants'), and attacking the US Embassy itself, and claiming that [[Homosexuality and religion|"all religions" are against homosexuality]], in addition to pseudoscientific Anti-Gay propaganda by saying no one is born gay and portraying [[monkeypox]] as a "Gay Plague".<ref name="BNA 2022 Pride Response" /><ref name="Watan 2022" /><ref name="الشيخ 2022">{{multiref2|{{cite web | last=الشيخ | first=فيصل | title=الترويج لـ'المثليين والشواذ' في البحرين! | website=Watan | date=2022-06-04 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812234239/https://alwatannews.net/Opinion/article/1009129/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%AC-%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AB%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B0-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%86%21 | archive-date=2022-08-12 | url-status=live | url=https://alwatannews.net/Opinion/article/1009129/الترويج-لالمثليين-والشواذ-في-البحرين! | language=ar | access-date=2022-11-20}}|{{cite web | title=استنكار شديد لترويج السفارة الأمريكية للمثلية | website=Al-Ayam | date=2022-06-04 | url=https://www.alayam.com/alayam/first/964188/News.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604002223/https://www.alayam.com/alayam/first/964188/News.html | archive-date=2022-06-04 | url-status=live | language=ar | access-date=2022-11-22}}|{{cite web | title=المثلية.. عالم من الانحطاط في العلاقات الدولية | website=Al-Ayam | date=2022-07-13 | url=https://www.alayam.com/Article/courts-article/419656/Index.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713165856/https://www.alayam.com/Article/courts-article/419656/Index.html | archive-date=2022-07-13 | url-status=live | language=ar | access-date=2022-11-22}}|{{cite web | title= المثلية الجنسية تهدد العالم.. مرض يتفشى بين الرجال المثليين وثنائيي الجنس كأسوأ الحالات بتاريخ الولايات المتحدة | website=Al-Ayam | date=2022-06-29 | url=https://www.alayam.com/online/Variety/967751/News.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629103903/https://www.alayam.com/online/Variety/967751/News.html | archive-date=2022-06-29 | url-status=live | language=ar | access-date=2022-11-22}}|{{cite web | title=خطر المثلية والشذوذ الجنسي على آخر أسوار الحضارة الإنسانية | website=Al-Ayam | date=2022-06-14 | url=https://www.alayam.com/Article/courts-article/419527/Index.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614082401/https://www.alayam.com/Article/courts-article/419527/Index.html | archive-date=2022-06-14 | url-status=live | language=ar | access-date=2022-11-22}}|{{cite web | title=جميع الديانات ترفض المثلية وتعاقب عليها | website=Al-Ayam | date=2022-06-05 | url=https://www.alayam.com/alayam/first/964302/News.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122180558/https://www.alayam.com/alayam/first/964302/News.html | archive-date=2022-11-22 | url-status=live | language=ar | access-date=2022-11-22}}
}}</ref> In contrast, while a [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] woman who accused [[Shia Islam|Shia]] Muslims of being responsible for the spread of [[COVID-19]] was arrested,<ref name="irf_report">{{Cite journal |date=2021 |title=BAHRAIN 2021 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT |url=https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/BAHRAIN-2021-INTERNATIONAL-RELIGIOUS-FREEDOM-REPORT.pdf |url-status=live |journal=U.S. Department of State |pages=11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240906154259/https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/BAHRAIN-2021-INTERNATIONAL-RELIGIOUS-FREEDOM-REPORT.pdf |archive-date=2024-09-06}}</ref> [[hate speech]] against the LGBTQ+ community remains widespread, with no legal consequences for those who engage in such rhetoric.{{r|insta|tariq}}{{failed verification|date=January 2025}} This is partly due to Bahrain's Article 309, which protects religious groups but does not extend similar protections to the LGBTQ+ community.<ref name="Freedom of Thought Report 20192">{{cite web |date=2019-04-28 |title=Bahrain |url=https://fot.humanists.international/countries/asia-western-asia/bahrain/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428045734/https://fot.humanists.international/countries/asia-western-asia/bahrain/ |archive-date=2019-04-28 |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=Freedom of Thought Report}}{{Creative Commons text attribution notice|cc=bysa4|from this source=yes}}</ref><ref name="end_blasphemy">{{Cite web |title=Bahrain |url=https://end-blasphemy-laws.org/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/bahrain/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240906152408/https://end-blasphemy-laws.org/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/bahrain/ |archive-date=2024-09-06 |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=End Blasphemy Laws}}</ref>

In November 15, 2022, a Bahraini [[YouTube]] talk show ''Speaker bh'' hosted an episode about homosexuals titled "{{Langx|ar|الشذوذ الجنسي ( المثليين )|4=Sexual deviance (homosexuals)}}" where the episode featured two hosts, {{Langx|ar|محمد القطان|4=Mohammed Al-Qattan|label=none}}, and {{Langx|ar|سمر الزرقاوي|4=Samar Al-Zarqawi|label=none}} who used mockery and slang expressions while discussing the topic, saying:<ref name="speak pod">{{Cite episode |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnZ3MqPflQI |script-title=ar:بودكاست سبيكر {{!}} الشذوذ الجنسي ( المثليين ) |trans-title= Homosexuality (Gays)|date=2022-11-15 |series=Speaker Podcast {{!}} Speaker bh |access-date=2024-12-21 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|text=انه اوه قي هاهاها عادي، لا لا لا مو عادي مو حرية شخصية ما يصير، يعني احنا في مجتمع اسلامي، هاي ضد الفطرة، احنا تربينا على مبدأ الفطرة مثلاً الريال لازم يتزوج و اييب عيال و كذا و كذا ما يصير{{pb}}[That it's like, 'Oh, Gay, haha, it's normal.' No, no, no, it's not normal. It's not personal freedom; it can't be. I mean, we live in an Islamic society. This goes against human nature. We were raised on the principle of natural order. For example, a man must marry, have children, and so on. It can't be like this.]}} The co-host herself does not abide by [[Hijab#Qur'an|Islamic dress code]].{{r|speak pod}} The host was criticised in the comments for hosting what they called an "[[effeminate]]" known as "{{Langx|ar|جوزيف|4=Joseph|label=none}}" a popular Bahraini [[snapchat]] persona in the [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Arab Gulf state]].{{r|speak pod}} Media content in Bahrain is subject to government oversight, with only content aligning with state-approved narratives being permitted for publication.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bahrain: Freedom on the Net 2024 Country Report |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/bahrain/freedom-net/2024 |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=Freedom House |language=en}}</ref>

Similarly, in June 2023, Salah Al-Jodar, a columnist for [[Al Ayam (Bahrain)|Al-Ayam]] newspaper, published an article strongly condemning the promotion of LGBTQ+ rights in Bahrain.<ref name=":7" /> He criticized what he described as Western moral decline, linking issues such as family disintegration, divorce, and homelessness to the acceptance of homosexuality.<ref name=":7" /> Al-Jodar argued that Western societies, having lost touch with traditional values, are "attempting to ''export these ideas'' to the Arab world under the guise of personal freedom" (despite the fact that [[LGBTQ history#Middle East and North Africa|homosexuality existed in the Middle East]] before modern gay rights).<ref name=":7" /> Al-Jodar's article was written in response to the [[List of diplomatic missions of the United States|US Embassy in Bahrain]]'s public support for LGBTQ+ rights during [[Pride Month]].<ref name=":7" /> He expressed disapproval of the embassy's actions, stating that such behavior disrespects Bahrain's customs, traditions, and religious values.<ref name=":7" /> He claimed that Bahraini society firmly rejects homosexuality, which he referred to as {{Transliteration|ar|shawadh}} ('[[Deviance (sociology)|deviant]]'), and maintained that all religions and societal norms oppose such behaviours.<ref name=":7" /> Al-Jodar's rhetoric mirrors common arguments in Bahrain, where LGBTQ+ identities are frequently portrayed as foreign to the country's social fabric and religious principles.<ref name=":7" /> His views also reflect broader societal attitudes in Bahrain, where public expressions of support for LGBTQ+ rights often face significant backlash, particularly from conservative and religious groups. Despite growing awareness of LGBTQ+ issues globally, public opinion in Bahrain remains largely hostile, with social media platforms often serving as outlets for criticism against LGBTQ+ rights, especially during Pride Month.<ref name=":7" />

In September 2023, Sonya Janahi, a member of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry {{failed verification span|and part of [[Ajam of Bahrain|Bahrain's Ajam community]],|date=January 2025}}{{Relevance inline|reason=Why is Janahi's ethnicity relevant to her views on this topic?|date=January 2025}} spoke at the Arab Chambers Union meeting in Manama.{{r|2023 alblilad}} During the meeting, Janahi voiced her opposition to the acceptance of homosexuality, stating that it conflicts with Islamic and societal values.{{r|2023 alblilad}} She urged regional governments to form a unified stance on this issue, particularly within the Arab Labour Organization.{{r|2023 alblilad}} Janahi pointed out that discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity had led to divisions during the organization's financial committee meetings.{{r|2023 alblilad}} Despite efforts to resolve these disagreements, she noted that many Arab governments continue to resist incorporating issues related to homosexuality into official discussions.{{r|2023 alblilad}} Janahi further mentioned that around 50% of the member countries in the Arab League oppose homosexuality.<ref name="2023 alblilad">{{Cite news |script-title=ar: 'جناحي: الغرف العربية في سباق مع الزمن لمنع 'المثلية' وتدويل 'تنظيم الإضراب |trans-title=Janahi: Arab chambers in a race against time to prevent "homosexuality" and internationalized "organisation of strikes" |url=https://www.albiladpress.com/news/2023/5446/finance/825947.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907005947/https://www.albiladpress.com/news/2023/5446/finance/825947.html |archive-date=2024-09-07 |access-date=2024-09-07 |work=جريدة البلاد [[Al Bilad (Bahraini newspaper)|Al-Bilad]]|language=ar}}</ref>

In February 2024, Ibrahim Al-Nahham, a Bahraini journalist working for [[Al Bilad (Bahraini newspaper)|''Al-Bilad'']], published an article titled "Homosexuality and the Sinister Plot" ({{lang|ar|المثلية الجنسية والمخطط الآثم}}), expressing conservative attitudes towards LGBTQ individuals. Al-Nahham strongly condemned homosexuality, labelling it as a threat to the country's moral fabric, religious values, and family structure. He expressed concerns about global media "promoting same-sex relationships", arguing that such portrayals undermine traditional Arab-Islamic values and encourage what he described as "deviant" behaviours. The article called for the Bahraini parliament to take firm action by criminalizing homosexual acts and same-sex marriage to safeguard societal norms and protect future generations. This perspective aligns with the broader public sentiment in Bahrain, where homosexuality is widely viewed as incompatible with the country's cultural and religious foundations.<ref>{{Cite news |title=المثلية الجنسية والمخطط الآثم |url=https://www.albiladpress.com/news/2024/5591/columns/848206.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907004013/https://www.albiladpress.com/news/2024/5591/columns/848206.html |archive-date=2024-09-07 |access-date=2024-09-07 |work=جريدة البلاد [Al Bilad] |language=ar}}</ref>
[[File:Bahrain_al-bilad_tariq_al-bahhar_homophobic_caricature.jpg|right|thumb|The caricature by Tariq Al-Bahhar]]
On August 3, 2024, the newspaper [[Al Bilad (Bahraini newspaper)|Albilad]] posted an illustration drawn by [[caricature]] artist Tariq Al-Bahhar on their website and on [[Instagram]] depicting a roll of [[toilet paper]] with the colours of the [[Rainbow flag (LGBTQ)|Gay pride flag]], accompanied by the caption "{{lang|ar|المكان الصحيح}}" ('the correct place').{{r|insta|tariq}} The caricature, which was widely viewed and commented on,{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} {{citation needed span|reflects the prevailing negative attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community in Bahrain. Such content reinforces [[Social stigma|societal stigmas]] and hostility, contributing to the broader atmosphere of intolerance that LGBTQ+ individuals face in the country.|date=January 2025}} Public expressions like this are {{citation needed span|emblematic of the broader [[conservative]] and religious sentiments that shape attitudes toward LGBTQ+ rights in the region.|date=January 2025}}

== Free speech and association ==
The press in Bahrain has, since the 1990s, generally been allowed to discuss the subject of homosexuality, without being punished by the government. Initially, the discussion was focused on people and events happening outside of Bahrain, especially in the field of entertainment or the [[AIDS]]-[[HIV]] pandemic. In the early part of the twenty-first century, the Bahraini press has begun to address [[sexual orientation]], [[gender identity]], and the AIDS-HIV pandemic as they apply to the island.

In 2001, the Arabic language newspaper ''[[Al-Meethaq]]'' created a national controversy when it became the first newspaper to discuss homosexuality in Bahrain.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41719.htm |title=Bahrain |publisher=State.gov |date=28 February 2005 |access-date=20 January 2011}}</ref>

On 21 December 2005, the Bahrain-based newspaper ''[[Gulf Daily News]]''' British columnist [[Les Horton (columnist)|Les Horton]] wrote a commentary.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://prezi.com/t4xhypsqngta/homosexuality-in-bahrain/|title=Homosexuality in Bahrain|last=Wiener|first=Constantin|date=13 March 2014|website=prezi.com|access-date=10 February 2020}}</ref> This is probably the first time that a column expressing support for LGBTQ rights was published in a Bahraini newspaper, albeit an English language publication.

Bahraini citizens who criticize or denigrate Islamic scripture, including advocating for a more permissive interpretation, can be imprisoned for up to a whole year. An unidentified female Bahraini citizen who mocked Islamic scripture on [[Twitter]], was reported by people and this got her subsequently arrested.<ref name="https://www.bna.bh/">{{cite web | title= الحبس سنة لمتهمة نشرت تغريدات مسيئة للدين الإسلامي  |access-date=2022-11-20 |url= https://www.bna.bh/news?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDrZgrf%2Fsoo7v95qBwlq9CgU%3D |archive-date= 2022-08-11| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220811132925/https://www.bna.bh/news?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDrZgrf%2Fsoo7v95qBwlq9CgU%3D }}</ref> The ''Gulf Daily News'' has continued to write articles that touch upon homosexuality and gender identity. For example, it has published several articles on Bahraini female homosexuality in girls' high schools and Bahraini women who claim to have become lesbians based on abusive relationships with men.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

[[Human Rights Watch]], the international non-governmental organisation, has identified legal and social barriers to the formation of community groups or associations for support or promotion of LGBTQ rights in Bahrain.<ref>{{citation |date= June 2013 |title='Interfere, Restrict, Control': Restraints on Freedom of Association in Bahrain |work=Human Rights Watch |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2013/06/20/interfere-restrict-control/restraints-freedom-association-bahrain |isbn=978-1-62313-0299 |page=17 |last1=Hama |first1=Mariwan R. }} [https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/bahrain0613webwcover_0.pdf PDF download link]</ref> The government body that controls the registration of associations and private foundations may deny registration to any organisation if it judges that its aims are contrary to morality or the maintenance of public order, or if "society does not need its services".<ref name="ilga 2020">{{cite report|author7=((ILGA World))|last1= Ramon Mendos |first1=Lucas|first2=Kellyn |last2= Botha |first3=Rafael |last3= Carrano Lelis|first4=Enrique |last4= López de la Peña|first5=Ilia |last5= Savelev|first6=Daron |last6= Tan |title=State-Sponsored Homophobia report: 2020 global legislation overview update |edition=14th  |pages=101, 177 |language=en |date=14 December 2020 |publisher=ILGA |location=Geneva |url=https://ilga.org/downloads/ILGA_World_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_report_global_legislation_overview_update_December_2020.pdf |archive-date=15 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215114401/https://ilga.org/downloads/ILGA_World_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_report_global_legislation_overview_update_December_2020.pdf }}</ref>
The US Department of State reports there are no approved LGBTQ-related organisations and deems it unlikely they could form, or "openly convene events publicly supportive of the LGBTQI+ community" in the face of currently prevailing societal norms. ILGA concludes that given the social and legal context, it is "improbable that an organisation working on sexual and gender diversity issues would be registered".<ref name="2023 ussd">{{cite report |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/bahrain/ |title=2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Bahrain |author1=((Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor)) |date=2024 |publisher=United States Department of State |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241014005955/https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/bahrain/ |archive-date=2024-10-14 |url-status=live |chapter=Section 6. Discrimination and Societal Abuses: Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity}}</ref>

== Human rights reports ==
In 2017, the United States Department of State reported the following, concerning the status of LGBTQ rights in Bahrain:<ref name="state 2017">{{Cite report|publisher=United States Department of State|date=21 April 2018|chapter=Acts of Violence, Discrimination, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity |title=BAHRAIN 2017 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT |url=https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/277481.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421053116/https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/277481.pdf|archive-date=21 April 2018|access-date=2021-01-26}}</ref>
{{blockquote|The law does not criminalize same-sex sexual activity between consenting persons who are at least age 21, but discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity occurred.}}The 2023 Country Human Rights report from the US Department of State said:<ref name="2023 ussd" />{{blockquote|The law did not criminalize same-sex sexual conduct between consenting adults. It prescribed fines, imprisonment, deportation, or a combination thereof for persons engaging in "debauchery" or "public indecency". The government used this provision against individuals suspected of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex (LGBTQI+) or of "cross-dressing".}}

==Summary table==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| Same-sex sexual activity legal
| [[File:Yes check.svg|15px|Yes]] (Since 1976){{r|ILGA 2013|albilad 2022|BNA Maan 2021|BNA 2022 Pride Response|crim code}}
|-
| Equal age of consent (21)
| [[File:Yes check.svg|15px|Yes]] (Since 1976)
|-
| Anti-discrimination laws in employment
| [[File:X mark.svg|15px|No]] 
|-
| Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of goods and services
| [[File:X mark.svg|15px|No]] 
|-
| Anti-discrimination laws in all other areas (incl. indirect discrimination, hate speech)
| [[File:X mark.svg|15px|No]] 
|-
| Same-sex marriages
| [[File:X mark.svg|15px|No]]
|-
| Recognition of same-sex couples
| [[File:X mark.svg|15px|No]] 
|-
| Step-child adoption by same-sex couples
| [[File:X mark.svg|15px|No]] Adoption is not legally available to anyone, regardless of sex or orientation, in accordance with traditional interpretations of Islamic law regarding family relationships<ref name="kbp uk"/>
|-
| Joint adoption by same-sex couples
| [[File:X mark.svg|15px|No]] Adoption not legal for anyone of whatever sex or sexual orientation<ref name="kbp uk"/>
|-
| Gays, lesbians and bisexuals allowed to serve openly in the military
| [[File:X mark.svg|15px|No]]
|-
| Right to change legal gender
| [[Image:Yes check.svg|15px|Yes]]/[[File:X mark.svg|15px|No]] Very limited. Court-ordered, long legal processes involved<ref name="2023 ussd"/>
|-
| Conversion therapy made illegal
| [[File:X mark.svg|15px|No]] 
|-
| Access to IVF for lesbians
| [[File:X mark.svg|15px|No]] Fertility treatments using donor sperm or ova are unavailable to any person. Only a woman and a man married to each other have access to assisted reproduction
|-
| Commercial surrogacy for gay male couples
| [[File:X mark.svg|15px|No]] Gestational surrogacy is not legal, regardless of sex or orientation<ref name="kbp uk">{{cite web |title=Bahrain: Knowledge Base profile |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bahrain-knowledge-base-profile/bahrain-knowledge-base-profile |website=HM Passports Office |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |language=en |date=1 May 2024}}</ref>
|-
| Conversion therapy banned
| [[File:X mark.svg|15px|No]]
|-
| [[Men who have sex with men|MSM]] allowed to donate blood
| [[File:Yes check.svg|15px|Yes]] (No specific laws against it) 
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|LGBTQ|Bahrain}}
*[[Criminalisation of homosexuality]]
*[[Human rights in Bahrain]]
*[[LGBT rights in the Middle East]]
*[[LGBT rights in Asia]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist | refs=
{{efn|name="long"|text=Proposed amendments to the law were described in a January 2022 article in ''Albilad''<!--And for some reason reproduced in full here! (Please delete or truncate.)-->:{{r|albilad 2022}}
{{Verse translation|lang1=ar|italicsoff=y|rtl1=y|
أعادت حادثة توزيع إحدى المدارس الخاصة قصة تروج الشذوذ الجنسي لطلابها - والتي ذكرت وزارة التربية والتعليم أنها تمت عن طريق الخطأ - قضية الشذوذ الجنسي إلى السطح، إذ رفع مجلس النواب في جلسته الاستثنائية الخميس الماضي مقترحًا برغبة بصفة الاستعجال بفتح تحقيق في هذه الحادثة.
وفي رده على استفسار لـ "البلاد" حول معالجة القانون البحريني لفعل الترويج للشذوذ قال المحامي محمود ربيع إن المحرض على الجرم يعتبر مساهما مع الفاعل الأصلي في الجريمة متى أدى التحريض (الترويج) إلى ارتكاب الجريمة.
وأشار إلى أن المشرع البحريني يُعاقب المساهم الجنائي أو المحرض بذات العقوبة المقررة للفاعل الأصلي، بمعنى إذا كانت عقوبة الفاعل الأصلي في جريمة القتل العمد هو السجن المؤبد أو الإعدام، فإن عقوبة المحرض على هذه الجريمة تكون ذات العقوبة؛ لأنه يعد شريكا في الجريمة من حرض على ارتكابها فوقعت بناء على هذا التحريض.
ولفت إلى أنه على الجانب الآخر، لا يمنع أن يكون التحريض بحد ذاته جريمة، حتى وإن لم ينتج عنه أثر، وهو ما طبقه المشرع البحريني في جرائم معينة، كتلك الماسَّة بأمن الدولة الداخلي التي وردت تفصيلًا في الفصل الثاني من قانون العقوبات البحريني، إضافة إلى ما قرره المشرع في قانون حماية المجتمع من الأعمال الإرهابية المعدل، من عقوبة السجن للمحرض على على ارتكاب جريمة لغرض إرهابي حتى ولو لم يترتب على فعله أثر.

الفجور والدعارة
وأشار إلى أن قانون العقوبات عاقب في المادة 324 كل من حرض ذكرًا أو أنثى على ارتكاب الفجور والدعارة أو ساعده على ذلك بأي طريقة كانت بالحبس.
وبين أن مفهوم دلالة نص هذه المادة حسب رأي الفقه والقضاء، أن جريمة الفجور والدعارة لا تتحقق بدورها إلا بمباشرة الفحشاء مع الناس بغير تمييز، وأن يكون ذلك على وجه الاعتياد سواء بالنسبة لبغاء الرجل أو بغاء الأنثى.
وأضاف أن الأنثى حين ترتكب الفحشاء وتبيح عرضها لكل طالب بلا تمييز فتلك هي الدعارة، تنسب للبغي فلا تصدر إلا منها، ويقابلها الفجور، ينسب للرجل حين يبيح عرضه لغيره من الرجال بغير تمييز فلا يصدر إلا منه.
ورأى أنه ينبغي تعديل النص بإضافة الشذوذ الجنسي الى جانب تجريم التحريض على الفجور والدعارة، لتغطية الفراغ التشريعي، مع ضرورة تعريف الشذوذ الجنسي تعريفا بنص صريح يُجرم الشذوذ الجنسي، ويوضح الفرق بينها وبين جريمتي الفجور والدعارة.
وذكر أن مهمة القانون تنظيم العلاقات في المجتمع، وإذا ما ظهرت علاقة مؤثمة تتنافى مع قيم المجتمع وأخلاقه، فإن واجب السلطة التشريعية أن تتصدى لهذه الظاهرة الشاذة، وأن ينظم أمرها بتشريع عقابي وصولًا لاستئصالها.

تعديل تشريعي
ويأتي ذلك في وقت تقدم فيه نواب في أكتوبر الماضي باقتراح بقانون بتعديل بعض أحكام قانون العقوبات، في مادته الأولى بتعديل عنوان الفصل الثالث من الباب السابع من القسم الخاص من قانون العقوبات ليكون "الفجور والدعارة والشذوذ".
ونص التعديل على إضافة مادتين تنص الأولى على "يعاقب بالسجن مدة لا تجاوز 5 سنوات والغرامة التي لا تقل عن 3 آلاف دينار ولا تجاوز 5 آلاف دينار أو بإحدى هاتين العقوبتين":

1- كل من رفع علما أو شعارا أو أية إشارة ترمز إلى فئة الشواذ جنسيا.
2- كل من روج بأية وسيلة كانت لأفكار ومعتقدات فئة الشواذ جنسيا.
3- كل من دعا أو نظم أو حضر أي تجمع أو اجتماع لفئة الشواذ جنسيا.

ونص التعديل الثاني على أن "يعاقب الشخص الاعتباري بالغرامة التي لا تقل عن 10 آلاف دينار ولا تزيد على خمسين ألف دينار، إذا ارتكبت إحدى الأفعال المذكورة في المادة السابقة، وكان ذلك نتيجة اتفاق أو علم أعضاء مجلس الإدارة أو أصحاب المؤسسة أو مالكها.
وفي حالة الحكم بالإدانة تأمر المحكمة بحرمان الشخص الاعتباري من المشاركة في المشروعات العامة أو بإغلاق مقاره التي وقعت فيها الجريمة أو بحله وإغلاق جميع مقاره إغلاقا مؤقتا أو دائما
وتأمر المحكمة في جميع الأحوال بمصادرة الأموال والأمتعة والأدوات والأوراق مما يكون قد استعمل أو أعد للاستعمال في ارتكاب الجريمة أو تحصل منها، وذلك مع عدم المساس بحقوق غير الحسن النية. 
|The incident of a private school distributing materials allegedly promoting homosexuality to its students — which the Ministry of Education claimed happened by mistake — has brought the issue of homosexuality back to the forefront. Last Thursday, the Parliament in its exceptional session proposed an urgent investigation into the matter.

Responding to an inquiry by "Al-Bilad" about how Bahraini law addresses the act of promoting homosexuality, lawyer Mahmoud Rabie stated that inciting a crime is considered contributing to the offense, making the inciter equally culpable with the primary perpetrator if the incitement (promotion) leads to the commission of the crime. He pointed out that Bahraini legislators punish criminal accomplices or inciters with the same penalty prescribed for the primary perpetrator. For example, if the penalty for premeditated murder is life imprisonment or death, the inciter would face the same penalty as they are deemed a partner in the crime if their incitement caused it to occur.

Additionally, he noted that incitement can be a crime in itself, even if it does not lead to any tangible outcome. Bahraini legislators have applied this principle to specific crimes, such as those endangering state security detailed in the second chapter of the Penal Code, as well as in the amended Law on Protecting Society from Terrorist Acts, which imposes imprisonment on anyone inciting a crime for terrorist purposes, even if their actions have no effect.

'''Debauchery and Prostitution'''
The Penal Code in Article 324 punishes anyone who incites a man or woman to commit debauchery or prostitution or assists them in any way with imprisonment.

According to legal and judicial interpretation, the crime of debauchery and prostitution only occurs through engaging in immoral acts indiscriminately and habitually, whether it involves male or female prostitution.<br/>The lawyer added that a woman committing immoral acts indiscriminately is considered prostitution, attributed solely to her, while debauchery is attributed to a man offering himself to other men indiscriminately.

He argued for amending the law to include homosexuality alongside debauchery and prostitution to address legislative gaps. The amendment should explicitly define homosexuality and differentiate it from the crimes of debauchery and prostitution. He emphasized that the law's role is to regulate relationships within society. If a prohibited relationship emerges, conflicting with societal values and morals, it becomes the legislature's duty to confront the phenomenon and regulate it with punitive legislation to eliminate it.

'''Legislative Amendment'''
In October, MPs proposed amending the Penal Code's provisions, including renaming Chapter Three of Part Seven to "Debauchery, Prostitution, and Homosexuality."
The amendment introduces two articles, the first stipulating imprisonment for no more than five years and fines between 3,000 and 5,000 Bahraini Dinars (or either penalty) for:
1- Raising a flag, symbol, or sign representing homosexuality.
2- Promoting homosexual ideas or beliefs by any means.
3- Organizing, calling for, or attending homosexual gatherings or meetings.

The second article imposes a fine between 10,000 and 50,000 Bahraini Dinars on legal entities if such acts are committed under their authority or with the knowledge of their managers, owners, or board members.

If convicted, the court may ban the entity from public projects, close the premises where the crime occurred, or dissolve the entity entirely, with temporary or permanent closures of all its offices.

The court will also order the confiscation of funds, equipment, tools, or documents used or intended for use in committing the crime, without affecting the rights of third parties acting in good faith.|attr1=|attr2=}} }}
}}

===Attribution===
{{US DOS}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="albilad 2022">{{cite news |date=2022-01-31 |script-title=ar:هكذا يعاقب القانون البحريني التحريض على الشذوذ الجنسي |trans-title=This is how Bahraini law penalizes incitement to sexual abnormality (homosexuality) |url=https://www.albiladpress.com/news/2022/4858/bahrain/743154.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131121458/https://www.albiladpress.com/news/2022/4858/bahrain/743154.html |archive-date=2022-01-31 |access-date=2022-11-23 |work=[[Al Bilad (Bahraini newspaper)|Al Bilad]] |language=ar }}</ref>

<ref name="BNA Maan 2021">{{cite web |date=2021-12-05 |title=جمعية (معاً): نؤيد بيان المجلس الأعلى الإسلامي وندعو الى احترام القيم الإسلامية والمجتمعية |url=https://www.bna.bh/.aspx?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDkEoQDpWUoL%2BbeEEskPWe%2FE%3D |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811135303/https://www.bna.bh/.aspx?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDkEoQDpWUoL%2BbeEEskPWe%2FE%3D |archive-date=2022-08-11 |access-date=2022-11-20 |language=ar}}</ref>

<ref name="BNA 2022 Pride Response">{{cite web |title=استنكار شعبي واسع لقيام السفارة الأمريكية بالترويج للشذوذ الجنسي عبر حساباتها الرسمية على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي |url=https://bna.bh/.aspx?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDgBWDQna5H8nMzwtInt%2FXyU%3D |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117180615/https://bna.bh/.aspx?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDgBWDQna5H8nMzwtInt%2FXyU%3D |archive-date=2022-11-17 |access-date=2022-11-20 |language=ar}}</ref>

<ref name="ILGA 2013">{{cite web|url=http://old.ilga.org/Statehomophobia/ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2013.pdf |title=2013 State Sponsored Homophobia Report |work=[[International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association]] |page=20 |access-date=8 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627221135/http://old.ilga.org//Statehomophobia//ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2013.pdf |archive-date=27 June 2013 }}</ref>

<ref name="insta">{{Cite Instagram |user=albiladpress |postid=C-NCK8ct5F_ |date=August 3, 2024 |script-title=ar:كاريكاتير الفنان #طارق_البحار |trans-title=Cartoon by artist #Tariq_AlBahar |access-date=8 September 2024 |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C-NCK8ct5F_/?igsh=MTYwcXpodnV1ZjZicw== }}</ref>

<ref name="tariq">{{Cite news |date=2024-09-08 |title=طارق البحار |trans-title=Tariq Al-Bahar |url=https://www.albiladpress.com/artists/tareq-albahaar?page=2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240908023835/https://www.albiladpress.com/artists/tareq-albahaar?page=2 |archive-date=2024-09-08 |access-date=2024-09-08 |work=Al-Bilad Newspaper}}</ref>

<ref name="ussd 21">{{cite report |author1=((Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor)) |title=2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Bahrain |date=2022 |publisher=United States Department of State |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/bahrain/ |chapter=Section 6. Discrimination and Societal Abuses: Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity|quote=The law does not criminalize same-sex sexual conduct between consenting adults at least age 21, but it allots fines, imprisonment, deportation, or any of them for persons engaging in 'immoral behavior', and this provision has been used against individuals suspected of being LGBTQI+ or cross-dressing.}}</ref> 
}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080728012317/http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/middle-east-north-africa/bahrain?ta=lawsCustoms&pg=3 UK government travel advice for Bahrain: Local laws and customs]

{{Bahrain topics}}
{{Asia topic|LGBTQ rights in}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lgbt Rights in Bahrain}}
[[Category:Human rights in Bahrain]]
[[Category:Politics of Bahrain]]
[[Category:LGBTQ rights in the Middle East|Bahrain]]
[[Category:LGBTQ rights by country|{{Title country}}]]
[[Category:LGBTQ rights in Asia|{{Title country}}]]
[[Category:LGBTQ in Bahrain]]