If caught by jihadis, Syrian gays may be thrown from rooftops, or ransomed. And many live in fear of their own families. But Lebanon’s not the safe haven they hoped. Reporting from Beirut by Amelie Zaccour Two young men we’ll call Karim and Tareq were walking through the streets of Raqqa, Syria, in September
Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, the five provinces that comprise present-day Lebanon were mandated to France. The country gained independence in 1943, and French troops withdrew in 1946.
Homosexuality remains a crime in Lebanon, but the country is unusual among Arab-majority nations in that it has a small internal gay rights movement. As a practical matter, enforcement of the law is varied and often occurs through occasional police harassment and arrests. Aside from the criminal law, gay Lebanese civilians have been charged with violating censorship laws regulating free speech and free press. In 2000, the webmaster of gaylebanon.com faced military charges for maintaining a website for gay and lesbian Lebanese. Aside from occasional harassment LGBT citizens gather easily and discreetly.
Also see: Islam and Homosexuality. Also see new lesbian book: Bareed Mista3jil.
Name: Lebanon
Population: 4099000
Capital: Beirut - Pop. 2150000
Area: 10452 sq. km/ sq. miles
Language: Arabic
Religion: Muslim, Christian, Jewish
Status of Homosexuality: Illegal (lightly enforced)
Telephone Country Code: 961
Lesbian and Gay Life in Beirut, Lebanon
By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com Updated 15, 2014 Stories, Photos, News & Reports for Gay Lebanon In contrast to a New York Times story on party-time gay males in Beirut, Lebanon, a more realistic portrait of Lebanese LGBT life is portrayed in a 2009 book Bareed Mista3jl (not misspelled) published by Meem (2009). A GlobalGayz blog
Gay Arabs: It Gets Better–From an Arab Teen
By Moussa Dailyvoiceofreason.com 13 Jan 2012 This is an article by Moussa, a Lebanese young man of 19 who speaks from his own experience of coming out and how life gets much better once we own our sexuality and accept one another. The world we live in can seem like an absolutely terrible place. Worse
Lebanese Lesbian Speaks Out
Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com August 15, 2009 Regarding the point made in the previous blog post about the New York Times story on party-time gay males in Lebanon, a more realistic portrait of gay Lebanon was drawn by a lesbian in the book ‘Bareed Mistas3jil’ published by Meem . (2009; P43) I think this worried description
Gay Life in Lebanon: Bounce Back Beirut
Intro: An intrepid Dutch reporter ventures into the mixed-message country of Lebanon to experience the glitter and fears of gay life in Beirut. During his visit he discovers the fashionable avenues of Gemmayzeh and the tense streets of Dahiyeh (controlled by Hezbollah) yet finding gay life in both. The conclusion is that LGBT life is not widespread or publicly celebrated but is progressing and tolerated thanks to courageous club owners and Helem human rights group.