LGBT rights in United Arab Emirates
LGBT rights in United Arab Emirates 
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| Same-sex sexual activity legal? | Illegal: Islamic Sharia Law is applied |
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Penalty:
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Prison time; to small prison sentences, fines, chemical castrations and deportation for foreigners. |
| Gender identity/expression | Sex reassignment surgery is illegal |
| Discrimination protections | None |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships |
No recognition of same-sex relationships |
The United Arab Emirates includes the Emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras al-Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, Fujairah and Sharjah. Sexual relations outside a heterosexual marriage is a crime. Punishments range from jail time, fines, and deportation. Adultery and fornication are also crimes, and a person convicted of homosexuality may also face charges of adultery if they have a spouse while having sexual relations with a person of the same sex.
Despite these legalities, there is a flourishing underground gay scene in the UAE, primarily bolstered by expatriates. The country is known as a regional center for LGBT culture in the Middle East.
Article 354 of the Federal Penal Code states, "Whoever commits rape on a female or sodomy with a male shall be punished by death." While English translations of the Arabic text are in some dispute, it is generally felt that this is a prohibition against rape, and possibly consensual sodomy. The Federal Penal Code does not replace the legal system of each emirate, unless it is contrary to the federal law, and thus Sharia law remains in place. Hence a person could be charged on this federal penal code, or under a local (emirate) penal code. Despite the penal code's mention of a death penalty, executions for same-sex sexual conduct have not been implemented in the country.
In 2013, it was announced that all the Gulf Cooperative Countries had agreed to establish some form of, yet unknown, testing in order to ban and deport gay foreigners.
Article 80 of the Abu Dhabi Penal Code makes sodomy punishable with imprisonment of up to 14 years. Several news reports have revealed how the law is typically enforced. Cross-dressing would likewise be illegal.
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