I lived there for several years a couple of decades ago. It was an extraordinarily safe place, compared to the US, despite the occasional terrorist attack. I never had trouble with the locals, even the religious whackjobs. They’re generally kind-hearted people.

Gay colleagues had a great time there: it was on the DL but very low-risk. What happened in private homes stayed private. For various cultural reasons, quite a number of Saudi men would have sex with men-- especially foreigners, who they believed were less prone to gossiping than other Saudi guys were.

Something to keep in mind in places like KSA with draconian laws is that it’s all about hypocrisy, turning a blind eye, and sporadic, performative selective enforcement. Another example is that I often heard Saudis tell me that, despite the many restrictions on life there, at least they didn’t have drug problems like the US or Europe. But in the local newspapers, every few weeks, there’d be a photo of some minor prince doing a ribbon-cutting at a new rehab clinic.

A local proverb, attributed to the Prophet, is: “A sin that is hidden is half-forgiven.” The rationale is that, if you do it publicly, it encourages others. But the Saudi police were actually far more respectful of entering people’s homes than US or European police are (unless you get on a powerful person’s shit list).

It’s a good idea to learn a little about a place before you decide to visit. I’ve been all over the world, and Saudi Arabia is culturally one of the places that is most different from anything you’d encounter in the US.