Red, Green, Blue: a whole new meaning..
This past Thursday I got to see a side of Amman (and for that matter, the Middle East), that is usually not even discussed...the gay scene. The evening started off very innocently, with me, Saba (MC from Pakistan), Nadim (trainee from Canada) and Oksana (MC from Ukraine) watching Rang De Basanti and eating biryani. It was our attempt to bring a little bit of the subcontinent to Jordan. Anyways, we were sitting outside and Saba got a call from a friend asking if we wanted to go to a club. A gay club. Anyone who knows me probably know that I have a fondness for gay clubs; they always seem to play the best music, I don't get hit on, and it's great people-watching. C-Street in Champaign is the best and Pegs n' Pints in Delhi barely got old, even after almost 6 months of going there almost every Tuesday. So as you can imagine, I was kind of excited about this new Jordanian venture.
Me, Saba and Nadim arrived at RGB (Red, Green and Blue) and were introduced to Saba's friend's friends: about 10 guys wearing tight jeans and tank tops...and as we were introduced, all of them gave Nadim the once-over. Then we ventured inside, following the pumping sounds of house and techno songs that I haven't really heard since leaving the States. It was quite a nice change from the usual Arabic pop that plays in every single taxi...
Embracing the music, the three of us started dancing. It felt SO great to dance! Although I have to say I was probably staring as much (or more) as I was dancing...there was pretty much every kind of person imaginable there. Young, old, trendy, fashionably hopeless, big, small, anything...the whole time, I kept wondering (as I wonder about just about anyone I encounter): what is this person's story? The guy who was dancing next to me looked like he could have been my cab driver to work that very morning. Did he have a family at home? A wife who probably has no idea about this double life? So many contradictions seemed to be taking place....at one point, a techno remix of an Arabic pop song came on, and I couldn't help but thinking that these guys here in this underground club were singing the words to the same songs that the most conservative part of Jordanian society hear every day as well. Two very, very real parts of Jordanian society that are so close to each other but at the same time, worlds apart. Jordanian society is one that not only doesn't embrace homosexuality; it flat-out ignores it exists. Homosexuality is illegal in Jordan, but to add to the irony RGB was right next to the 3rd circle police station...
All that analysis aside, it was a damn fun night. It felt great to dance, even when two guys pummeled through our Laura-Nadim-Saba dancing triangle and started grinding up against me and Saba. We both amused them for awhile, but they were the world's most horrible dancers, so we quickly gave that up. Both of us noticed that Nadim (who had been stuck to Saba and I like glue the whole night) was nowhere in sight. Then we spotted him chatting it up (reluctantly) with a middle-aged bald hairdresser. He seemed pretty thankful that Saba and I had re-emerged again, and the three of us enjoyed the rest of the night dancing in our little expat corner.
What an unexpected night....and one that brought so many interesting realities into light. Everytime I think I've finally come to understand something about Jordanian (or more accurately, Amman) society, something comes along and completely contradicts it. I still haven't figured out Jordan, and I don't know if I ever will.
Until then, plenty more blog posts to come.
Me, Saba and Nadim arrived at RGB (Red, Green and Blue) and were introduced to Saba's friend's friends: about 10 guys wearing tight jeans and tank tops...and as we were introduced, all of them gave Nadim the once-over. Then we ventured inside, following the pumping sounds of house and techno songs that I haven't really heard since leaving the States. It was quite a nice change from the usual Arabic pop that plays in every single taxi...
Embracing the music, the three of us started dancing. It felt SO great to dance! Although I have to say I was probably staring as much (or more) as I was dancing...there was pretty much every kind of person imaginable there. Young, old, trendy, fashionably hopeless, big, small, anything...the whole time, I kept wondering (as I wonder about just about anyone I encounter): what is this person's story? The guy who was dancing next to me looked like he could have been my cab driver to work that very morning. Did he have a family at home? A wife who probably has no idea about this double life? So many contradictions seemed to be taking place....at one point, a techno remix of an Arabic pop song came on, and I couldn't help but thinking that these guys here in this underground club were singing the words to the same songs that the most conservative part of Jordanian society hear every day as well. Two very, very real parts of Jordanian society that are so close to each other but at the same time, worlds apart. Jordanian society is one that not only doesn't embrace homosexuality; it flat-out ignores it exists. Homosexuality is illegal in Jordan, but to add to the irony RGB was right next to the 3rd circle police station...
All that analysis aside, it was a damn fun night. It felt great to dance, even when two guys pummeled through our Laura-Nadim-Saba dancing triangle and started grinding up against me and Saba. We both amused them for awhile, but they were the world's most horrible dancers, so we quickly gave that up. Both of us noticed that Nadim (who had been stuck to Saba and I like glue the whole night) was nowhere in sight. Then we spotted him chatting it up (reluctantly) with a middle-aged bald hairdresser. He seemed pretty thankful that Saba and I had re-emerged again, and the three of us enjoyed the rest of the night dancing in our little expat corner.
What an unexpected night....and one that brought so many interesting realities into light. Everytime I think I've finally come to understand something about Jordanian (or more accurately, Amman) society, something comes along and completely contradicts it. I still haven't figured out Jordan, and I don't know if I ever will.
Until then, plenty more blog posts to come.
posted by Laura at
8:36 AM
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