Lebanon

Global News

Added on: 08/17/2020

Lebanon’s oldest queer advocacy group is already back to work helping the community in the wake of the deadly Beirut blast

08/16/2020

The offices of Lebanon’s oldest LGBT+ advocacy group were almost destroyed in the devastating Beirut blast, but staff are already back providing vital support to the queer…

Global News

Added on: 08/12/2020

LGBT+ survivors in Beirut coping with horrific injuries, homelessness and food shortages

08/11/2020

LGBT+ people in Beirut have been left with horrific injuries and damaged or destroyed homes after the explosion a week ago. The blast at the docks on…

Global News

Added on: 07/30/2020

‘I wish they killed you’: trauma of Syrian LGBT+ rape survivors

07/29/2020

Stigmatised gay, bisexual and transgender Syrian refugees who survived sexual violence in war are struggling to get medical or mental health care, human rights groups said on…

Global News

Added on: 06/10/2020

This Pride Month, Shame on You: Exposing Anti-LGBT Government Strategies in MENA

06/08/2020

As a researcher and advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, I am often asked: “What…

Global News

Added on: 05/22/2020

No medicine, no food: Coronavirus restrictions amplify health risks to LGBT+ people with HIV

05/22/2020

It started with headaches then came nausea and diarrhea. Within two weeks, gay Ugandan barber Eric had became so weak without his HIV medication he could not…

Global News

Added on: 05/08/2020

Lebanon’s LGBT People Are Reclaiming Their Power

05/07/2020

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their rights in Lebanon are part and parcel of the nationwide protests that began on October 17, 2019, Human…

Global News

Added on: 03/19/2020

‘It’s not safe for them’: Coronavirus lockdowns putting LGBT+ people at risk across Middle East

03/18/2020

Coronavirus-induced isolation and lockdowns are putting LGBT+ people in the Middle East at risk, campaigners have warned. Many individuals are – or, due to money worries, fear…

Global News

Added on: 11/16/2019

Lebanon protests seen as an ‘opportunity’ for LGBT+ community

11/15/2019

Despite being seen as a bastion of relative freedom in the largely conservative Middle East, Lebanese society remains reluctant to extend rights to the LGBT+ community. Nationwide…

Global News

Added on: 09/29/2019

Beirut Pride organizers cancel opening event after threats

09/26/2019

Organizers of Beirut Pride said they have canceled the event’s opening concert after threats meant they could not guarantee the safety of attendees at Lebanon’s third annual…

Global News

Added on: 09/15/2019

Death threats ‘broke my heart’ says popular Lebanese band singer

09/12/2019

The lead singer of one of the Middle East’s most popular bands said on Thursday he was heartbroken by rising homophobia in Lebanon, after death threats stopped…

Global News

Added on: 09/04/2019

Lebanon: End Systemic Violence Against Transgender Women

09/03/2019

Transgender women in Lebanon face systemic violence and discrimination, Human Rights Watch, Helem, and MOSAIC said in a report and video released today. Transgender women face discrimination…

Global News

Added on: 08/04/2019

Lebanon protest: Boycott festival that blocked LGBT-led band

08/03/2019

Hundreds of petitioners are urging a boycott of the upcoming Byblos International Festival because the festival cancelled a performance by the LGBT-led band Mashrou’ Leila. “Stand up…

Global News

Added on: 07/31/2019

‘We need freedom’: Sehaq, the party space for Amsterdam’s queer refugees

07/31/2019

At the dinner table, conversations bubble around people as they tuck into a three-course meal. A plethora of different nationalities and identities have pulled up a chair…

Global News

Added on: 06/27/2019

Middle East Survey Sees Patchy Progress in Views on Women’s and LGBT Rights

06/26/2019

More men than women in Iraq say they have been sexually harassed, while only 6% of Lebanese people think being gay is acceptable, according to a major…

Global News

Added on: 05/31/2019

I had to leave Lebanon after I came out as gay and HIV positive on TV

05/30/2019

I am a 29-year-old filmmaker and refugee from Lebanon living in the UK. My claim to asylum is based on my sexuality and my HIV status. I…

Global News

Added on: 05/29/2019

Lebanon blocks Grindr in latest attack on LGBT+ community

05/28/2019

The gay dating app Grindr has been blocked for most users in Lebanon, sparking concern over a widening crackdown on the LGBT+ community in the country. The…

Global News

Added on: 05/20/2019

LGBT in Lebanon: 15 years of activism, oppression

05/18/2019

The sun was shining above the groups demonstrating against the US-British military campaign against Iraq in 2003 in Beirut.‎ We were a group of eager youths, university…

Global News

Added on: 05/18/2019

Pride and gay sex illegal: Beirut, Lebanon fights back with LGBTI flags

05/17/2019

A Pride parade in Beirut, Lebanon, has never happened. Police, for the past two years, has banned the event for fear of offending ‘public morality’. But for…

Global News

Added on: 04/03/2019

Lebanon urged to abolish anti-LGBT law, after military acquits soldiers on ‘sodomy’ charges

04/02/2019

Lebanon has been urged to abolish a law criminalising homosexuality after the top military prosecutor declined to prosecute a “sodomy” case. The rights group called the decision,…

Global News

Added on: 04/01/2019

Lebanon court ‘acquits military personnel’ in sodomy case

03/30/2019

Judge Peter Germanos on Saturday cleared the group of charges of committing sexual acts “contrary to nature” and declined to issue warrants for their arrest, the Daily…

Global News

Added on: 03/22/2019

Lebanon’s LGBT community is often denied healthcare, and it’s not OK

03/22/2019

With absent or inadequate sex education in school curricula, Lebanese youth are pushed to learn about sex from unreliable sources, with all the risks it entails. The…

Global News

Added on: 03/09/2019

Mashrou’ Leila: the Lebanese indie band championing Arab gay rights

03/07/2019

Mashrou’ Leila are giants in Lebanon. Walking through Beirut with the band on a warm afternoon, it feels like everyone is staring. We squeeze into a retro…

Global News

Added on: 01/23/2019

Grindr Banned in Lebanon: List of Countries that Prohibit Gay Dating App

1/21/2019

Lebanon has reportedly banned people from accessing Grindr, a gay dating mobile app, on the country’s public network. SMEX, a Lebanese NGO that works toward empowering people, reached…

Global News

Added on: 01/10/2019

For LGBTI People in Lebanon, They Go Through Their Own Stonewall

01/08/2019

It is reported that on the night of June 28, 1969, transgender revolutionary Sylvia Rivera, infuriated and exhausted with the way the queer community had been treated,…

World Voices

Added on: 03/14/2017

Working for Change

Robert Blackmon

Alturi Project Director

Joseph Aoun manages Helem’s newly reopened community center – one of the few safe spaces for LGBTIQ residents of Beirut. He came to the organization seven months…