Steps Stand Up For LGBTQ+ Rights in Dubai
Could one of the least revolutionary pop groups ever be starting a change in attitudes to the Emirates?
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I’d love to know your thoughts and would be over the moon if you choose to subscribe to The Jason Ward Creative Substack. In return for subscribing, you will receive regular creative insights, reviews and interviews in as both articles and podcast episodes. AND even better subscription is currently FREE! Enjoy the article
Have you heard of the pop group Steps? For a brief four year hot girl summer between 1997 and 2001 they sold a ton of well produced sugary sweet, catchy as hell tunes. Steps were all packaged up in neatly choreographed promo videos that gave them an immensely unthreatening image. Like the best manufactured pop groups, Steps were anodyne, they were very pretty and everyone had a favourite member - mine was Faye. The group have sold 22 million records worldwide since they started and have never really been known for their opinions on politics or social issues. In fact Faye said in 2020 “Steps is a safe space so we don’t put opinions out there” Until now…
This week Steps have expressed an opinion with great clarity and conviction. They have literally put their money where their mouth is over a political and moral issue that they feel strongly about. Their decision asks some big questions that many performers, creatives and brands should think about.
This is the story: The group were offered a gig in Dubai for a fee they described as ‘a pot of gold’ - being Dubai I imagine that this was a BIG pot. But here’s the thing: Steps turned down the gig in protest at the state's oppression of the LGBTQ+ community and how that oppression was written into their contract. According to the group their contract contained a clause that said that they could not mention sexuality during their show. Group member Ian 'H' Watkins is gay and says that this clause was unacceptable for him. And let’s say fair play to H for this because it would have been easy to take the money but, as he explained “I'm at a point in my life now where my morals and what I strive for is more important than that pot of gold gig in Dubai”
The story gets better because H also gave the other group members the opportunity to go and play the Dubai gig with no hard feelings. But Steps, the anodyne, ‘ we don’t have opinions’ group, decided to stand with H on this important issue and turned down the contract. Steps’ decision has been described by Bobbi Pickard of Trans in the City as “fabulous allyship….They [Steps] have a strong Pride community following, and this reinforces their support and love for their fans."
Homosexuality is illegal in Dubai with same sex sexual activity punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Additionally, there are no anti-discrimination laws or even LGBTQ+ support groups in the region which explains what H also said about not feeling safe in the city state.
The story is fascinating and H went on to throw down a moral challenge to the industry saying that if more artists refused to perform in Dubai “all of those ripples will make huge waves, and we will have a much more inclusive and beautiful place to live."
This is an important point to make because the creative industries have always displayed allyship with the Queer community. Now we are in danger of being so blinded by the bright lights and BIG money of the Emirates that we park our regular ethics and beliefs to work in a place that outlaws the LGBTQ+ community in a way that we would never accept in our own country. Dubai, Qatar and now Saudi Arabia have become the new show biz El Dorado with unlimited riches ready to tempt in the creative community. There are live shows in shopping centres, new opera houses and galleries and the stunning New Year’s fireworks on the Burj Khalifa. All of these are incredible and incredibly expensive achievements that offer wonderful work to creatives but should we not be asking ourselves questions about what our participation means? Or do we just take the money because there is a cost of living crisis after all and making money as a creative can be tough? I don’t pretend that this is an easy choice and there will always be conflict between the ethical and the financial - just look at politicians! I do believe, however, that it is up to each individual to make their choice an informed one just as Steps have done.
In the 1970s and 1980s the United Nations imposed a cultural boycott on South Africa because of the oppressive apartheid regime. Artists, creatives and performers who worked in the country found themselves challenged about it at home. This pushed up the fees on offer -especially those at Sol Kerzner’s Sun City. In response to this, US musician Steven Van Sandt got together 49 top musicians to form Artists United Against Apartheid. The group had a hit protest record “Sun City” and all pledged that they would never work in South Africa. When asked why he wanted to be part of this protest, singer Jackson Browne said ‘Sun City has become a symbol of a society which is very oppressive and denies basic rights to the majority of its citizens… a symbol of that society's 'right' to entertain itself in any way that it wants to, to basically try to buy us off and to buy off world opinion’ This statement, some might argue, still rings true for certain places today. It is funny how we mock times gone by for their lack of sophistication and acceptance of offensive attitudes while forgetting the vital activism that also took place. 40 years ago credible artists like Bono, Herbie Hancock, Bruce Springsteen, Miles Davis and Pat Benatar were protesting against oppression in a country on a different continent. This year the protest against oppression comes from a glossy pop group, Steps, who have decided alone that, for them, the right thing to do is speak out for the rights of LGBTQ+ people and turn down the money. Where are the other rock groups, theatre companies and brands lining up to support them?
If I were in the same position as Steps I like to think that I would make the same choice because I believe that creativity and culture are forces for good that happen best when free artistic and personal expression is allowed. But how much money would it take for me or you to stop considering the rights of others? As a French friend of mine said “Everyone is corrupt - it just depends on the price” While everyone has a price, Steps have values. Now 5,6,7,8…
To find out more about Steps: