A TEACHER has shared his experience of living in Dubai as a gay man after he was forced to hide his sexuality from his employers and students – who later outed him.
Aodhán Benson was subject to a violent homophobic attack in July 2021 following his graduation as a newly qualified teacher from Hope University in Liverpool, leaving him beaten and traumatised.
This incident marked the last straw for the 24-year-old, who opted to move away from the UK after being offered a job as a modern foreign languages teacher at a school in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Despite the UAE’s stance on homosexuality – criminalised by both civil law and Sharia law – Aodhán took the plunge with the intention of hiding his sexuality from pupils and peers.
Whilst Aodhán initially bonded with many of his students and colleagues, he was later informed by his boss that secret WhatsApp chats had been set up by parents to discuss reporting him.
The teacher added that this was when it became clear that someone had Googled his name – an alleged offence in Dubai – and articles of his assault had surfaced, revealing that he was gay.
Aodhán shared how many pupils grew sympathetic for his cause – with one student even crying that his teacher would go to Hell for his sexuality.
He was then informed by the school that he would have to be let go if parents reported him to the education board (KHDA).
Aodhán has since opted to move back to Belfast, returning last month to share his experience of living in the UAE and attempting to be “respectful” of their laws against the LGBTQ+ community.
Speaking to Aodhán today, he said: “So, I moved in 2021 – I was unsure about going at first because of the things I’d heard, to be honest.
“I didn’t even know Dubai was a city within a country called UAE I thought Dubai was the country.
“It was never on my radar to move there but I was approached on LinkedIn and it sparked an intrigue so I started looking for jobs.
“I interviewed and was offered one but was going to decline as I still wasn’t sure if it was a wise decision.
“I was out for my graduation in Liverpool and was beaten up in a homophobic attack and I just needed to get away from Liverpool – I had no other job offers and I just thought it would be a chance to travel the world.
“Plus, I had some other gay friends who had taught there too and they told me it’s absolutely fine to live in as long as you follow the rules, which I was happy to do.
“I also went because I knew absolutely nothing about Islam or Muslims.
“Belfast isn’t exactly very diverse, so I thought it would be a good way to learn a bit more about something I didn’t know a lot about.
“So, I ended up moving and had an amazing time. It got me away from the bad environment I’d been in when I was in Liverpool as well as that attack being on the news and things.
“It felt like a fresh start, I was only ever going to be called by my first name, I never thought anything would come up and I really never assumed people would Google me.
“It’s a country that really respects privacy and it’s actually a crime to Google someone without consent so I never assumed that anyone would find the article.
“Basically, my school changed the policy and I’d be called Mr Benson so my full name was out and students Googled me and found the articles.
“It was then spread all around school and I was told by my boss that parents had been spreading it in WhatsApp group chats, debating if I was the type of person they wanted their kids around and debating whether to report me to the KHDA.
“My school tried to help but I was just told that ultimately there wasn’t much they could do if the KHDA got involved and I’d have to leave if it got that bad.
“I just got so panicked because the more they spoke the longer it was ‘relevant’ and I just got so anxious and dreaded going to work in case I got fired.
“I felt so paranoid by the end, even when I knew the end was near.
“I moved back at the beginning of July at the end of my two-year contract.
“Sadly, due to financial constraints included in my contract I couldn’t afford to leave sooner.
“I knew that I wasn’t going to continue on or even try and find another job in another school as I knew the story would always be online.
“I loved the job for the most part but I decided to leave teaching because I think in general there’s a shift in opinion towards teachers.
“It’s not as respected as it once was and even here in UK, I don’t know, but the comments and media you see about gay people being groomers – as stupid as it is – is just so disheartening.
“So being a teacher and listening to it is just so frustrating and I don’t want that stress.”
