Omar Sharif Jr : Israel – LGBT’s free-haven in the Middle East
Actor and underwear model Omar Sharif Jr. don't dare to go back to Egypt after he came out as gay.
He is experiencing one of Israel‘s biggest cities Tel Aviv as the world’s most gay-friendly city.
Omar Sharif Jr. is the grandson of Egypt’s legendary actor Omar Sharif, known from the films “Lawrence Of Arabia” and “Doctor Zhivago“. Young Sharif has been underwear model, he has advertised for Coca Cola in the Middle East, and he has played in Egyptian films. Now he lives in the U.S.
Norwegian journalist Hanne Skvartveit in VG, met Sharif jr. during the human rights conference Oslo Freedom Forum this week. Here he spoke about his experiences. The fear of being discovered, the relief is by telling, and about the depression and suicidal thoughts when threats and hatred came rolling toward him.
Being gay in Egypt are living in perpetual fear, he said. He tells Hanne about his friends who still lives in Egypt, who are arrested and subjected to medical examination. The men must undress and they are examined even most intimate places on their body. The goal is to find out if they have had sex. But most of all it’s about to humiliate them.
Read more at VG.no.