For His Mother

Amman, Jordan

It will come as no surprise to those of you who know me well to hear that I have stumbled into the GLBT community in Jordan. The longer I am here, the more I learn about what is actually a relatively flourishing Rainbow Coalition here in Jordan. Many of my favorite restaurants around town are under gay or lesbian management, and are therefore popular hangouts for Jordan's sexual minorities.

That's why I was very disappointed to hear today that the fabulous techno club I visited with my German friend and his boyfriend, RGB (reportedly short for "Real Gay Bar"), had to shut down recently. There was apparently an article published in a local newspaper about the gay community in Amman, which made RGB's owner's mother so nervous for his safety that she ended up in the hospital, and he decided to close the club.

So much for the idea of Philip and I going dancing there this weekend!