2010 Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem. Photo: wiki commons.

A proposal to screen for homosexuality and transgender individuals seeking entry to Gulf Cooperation Council states is to be discussed during a GCC meeting in November in Oman, the Kuwait Times reported Tuesday, citing a local Kuwaiti newspaper.

“Homosexuals and ‘third-sex’ individuals can be detected through clinical tests during the routine medical examination for visa,” Kuwait’s Public Health Department Director Dr Yousuf Mendakar was quoted as saying. ‘Third-sex’ is a common term used in Gulf states — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman,  Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates — to refer to transsexuals or people with gender identity disorder.

Dr. Mendakar added that an individual who is identified as homosexual will have ‘unfit’ stamped on his medical report; a term used for those who fail medical tests, that automatically disqualifies their visa application.

Dr Mendakar’s statements did not specify the type of test or which people would be targeted in the new project. He also did not explain how medical examiners intend to determine a visitor’s sexual orientation.

“Expatriates undergo medical tests at local clinics, but the new procedure includes stricter measures to find out homosexuals and transgenders so that they are banned from entering Kuwait or any GCC state,” he was quoted as saying.

The Gulf Cooperation Council states plan to implement a joint visa program in 2014 which will create a blanket application process.