UAE “Gay Cure” Video Taken Off YouTube

The removal of a video from YouTube showing a "gay cure" in the United Arab Emirates is being hailed as a step forward in the Middle Eastern nation.

The video, titled Be Yourself and showing two young men giving their effeminate friend a "straight makeover," drew many negative comments on YouTube and led to a campaign by Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transexual Rights UAE, in collaboration with Gay Middle East and the international LGBT Press, for its removal, reports U.K. website Pink News.

"When I saw the 'gay cure' video was laid to rest for good, I was extremely delighted on our victory in battling for our rights but also in my heart I said a little thanks to those people for recognizing the mistake that they did posting such a harsh, ridiculous video on such a vast scale," a man identified only as Ali, a member of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transexual Rights UAE, told Pink News.

The video's director, a 21-year-old man named Abdullah Al Saeedi, told UAE newspaper The Nationalthat he and his friends produced it as a "simple and funny way to show how gays can be changed to men." He added, "In our country, being gay is a bad thing." The National also noted the many objections to the video, within the UAE and elsewhere, and media coverage in general was fair-minded and not homophobic, according to Pink News.

LGBT activists in the nation expressed hope that the uproar over the video "had paved the way to further positive dialogue on LGBT issues" in the UAE, Pink News noted.