Little Mix performed a gay anthem underneath a giant rainbow flag at a show in Dubai, despite homosexuality being a crime in the United Arab Emirates.
The popular British girl band performed at The Assembly in Dubai on Saturday night (March 23) as part of an all-star concert to celebrate the Global Teacher Prize, which is hosted in the city.
However, fans were shocked part-way through the band’s performance of “Secret Love Song, Pt. II” when a giant Pride flag appeared on the video screen behind them.
Homosexuality is illegal in the Dubai, with federal law technically defining “sodomy with a male” as “punished by death,” though executions of gay people are not carried out.
LGBT+ people frequently face imprisonment in the country, however, making the band’s statement surprising.