Full disclosure: The vast majority of our readers are from the United States. And I’ll be the first to admit that some – not all, but some – Americans assume that however something is done in the good ol’ U.S. of A. is how things are done everywhere.
It’s not.
That’s why some clothes people wear in the US with no problem can get you into hot water in some other countries. Or when they try to use a VPN in the countries where they’re illegal. Or how people have wound up in trouble for doing things that would’ve been perfectly fine in the U.S. (like how this woman in the Middle East and then this man in Asia found out the hard way).
So it’s not surprising that while PDAs (public displays of affection) like hugging, kissing or holding hands is the U.S. is typically not an issue (especially for heterosexual couples; we’ll get to LGBTQIA+ couples in a moment), there are some countries where you’d best not (read: it’s frowned upon) or better not (read: it’s illegal).
Heterosexual couples (male/female)
Frowned upon
Most African countries EXCEPT:
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- South Africa
Special note: You can get arrested for kissing in the street in Tunisia, but they have special “kissing cafes” for couples.
Eastern & Southeast Asian countries including:
- Cambodia
- China (however it’s normal for 2 people of the same sex to hold hands in a form of platonic affections. Read: if they’re close friends)
- Indonesia
- Japan – they’re culturally more reserved
- Thailand
- Vietnam (although they’re a little more OK with it in Hanoi and Saigon)
Europe
- The big cities of most European cities are absolutely fine with PDAs. However, in rural areas, people tend to be more to themselves, and PDAs could be frowned upon.
Against the law
The Middle East, including:
- Dubai – illegal to kiss in public
- Egypt – couples have been arrested for excessive PDAs
Note: hand-holding between friends of the same gender is common in Arabic cultures, especially between men (anyone remember when President Bush made headlines when he and Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia held hands at a meeting in 2005? To Arabs, it demonstrated the strength of the bond between the two countries. To Americans? Not so much.).
India
- In India, you can be arrested and possibly sent to prison if you do something that offends the sensibilities of onlookers. Under Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code, performing an “obscene act” or singing, reciting or uttering obscenities can be punished with jail time of up to three months, a fine, or both (and yes, that means what counts as “obscene” is open to interpretation, but why take the chance?)
LGBTQIA+ couples
People who are LGBTQIA+ already know the prejudices of some of their fellow Americans. Unfortunately, in some countries, it’s even worse.
Frowned upon
- Turkey (the laws and beliefs in this Muslim-majority country are not quite as bad as those in the rest of the Middle East, but those who are LGBTQIA+ should probably still think twice about visiting (or at least engaging in any same-sex PDAs).
Against the law
- There are 64 countries where being LGBTQIA+ is against the law. The majority of them are in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
What does this all mean?
The beliefs and laws of the United States are not the same as other countries. Learn what the social norms are before you visit, and think twice before engaging in PDAs if you’re in a place where it’s frowned upon or illegal.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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