Lebanese LGBT Media Monitor

09/01/2023

‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️Does anyone have more information? Please everyone stay safe and make sure to inform your friends

28/11/2022

بعد أن كسر وزير الداخلية بسّام مولوي قرار مجلس شورى الدولة، حيث كان الأخير أوقف العمل بقرار صادر عنه، يطلب فيه من قوى الأمن منع أي لقاء أو تجمع لأفراد مجتمع "الميم عين" في لبنان وكل ما يتصل بالمثلية الجنسية.

ليبانون ديبايت بعد أن كسر وزير الداخلية بسّام مولوي قرار مجلس شورى الدولة، حيث كان الأخير أوقف العمل بقرار صادر عنه، يطلب فيه من قوى الأمن منع أي لقاء أو تجمع لأفراد ...

01/11/2022

Treat Me like Your Mother is now a photographic exhibition of Trans women from Beirut’s forgotten past.

It displays photographs of te Trans* women taken during the interviews and recordings from these interviews. It also has old photographs of them from childhood and in later years on display as well as part of a slideshow.

This was part of a project to tell the history of Lebanon through the lens of Trans women who recount growing up during the war, transitioning in more conservative times, asserting themselves at later ages and struggling while younger in a society that did not accept them as they were.

The journal can be bought at the exhibition and can also be found online through cold cuts magazine.

Helem Mina Image Centre

24/10/2022

Two women were filmed on the highway near jal el dib as they kissed on top of a convertible car. The video created controversy after it was posted on social media. Opinions differed as to whether this was acceptable behaviour. One user tweeted that “they think if they uncover their asses means they are cool and it’s freedom while another user tweeted that “personal freedoms remain a priority as long as there is no interference with the freedom of others”. Others were more concerned about road safety than the s*xual morality of the situation.

18/10/2022

The Sundance selected documentary “Sirens,” directed by Rita Baghdadi, tells the story of Lebanon’s first all-female metal band, Slave to Sirens. The film is executive-produced by Natasha Lyonne and Maya Rudolph

Per the official synopsis, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lilas and her thrash metal bandmates, Shery, Maya, Alma, and Tatyana (Slave to Sirens),

Sirens, a documentary about the first all-female metal band from Lebanon, premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. It was also considered one of their LGBTQ+ themed films at the festival.

This documentary was directed by Rita Baghdadi with the aim of capturing Lebanon through the lens of these young, norm-defying women. It focuses on these four women, Shery, Maya, Alma,Tatyana, and especially Lilas.

It also explores the past romantic relationship between rhythm guitarist Lilas and lead guitarist Shery Bechara. It also explores their q***r dating lives, particularly that of Lilas, in le***an bars where she opens up about her relations to women in and outside of Lebanon.

05/10/2022

27/09/2022

“For me, it’s a shout out – we are Arab and q***r. I want people to see the s*xual side of Arab men.”

In an interview on Means Happy, Samer Bo talks about his erotic fiction and the homophobia he has faced in Egypt. Bo hopes to show the s*xual side of gay Arab men in a society that oppresses them. He seeks to increase their visibility through his erotic fiction. This has led his online books to be banned in several Middle Eastern countries.

Link below for full article:

https://meanshappy.com/giving-a-voice-to-gay-arab-men/

Giving a voice to gay Arab men through erotic fiction. Samer Bo: "I want people to feel aroused but also represented."

14/09/2022

يحق للفرقة التي واجهت كل أشكال التهديد والتحريض والقمع والإقصاء والتنكيل الواقعي والافتراضي لسنوات أن تتوقف عن العمل، وأن يبحث أعضاؤها عن السلام بعيدًا عن الجنون ا...

14/09/2022

The Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila has disbanded. This happens after their fourteen-year long career, which Hamed Sinno, their lead singer, described as a “constant battle for breath.”

Sinno announced this on Sunday in an interview with “Sarde after dinner”, a Lebanese podcast. He stated that “none of the band members are thinking of working together, for now".

The band has a large fan base around the world, especially among diaspora Arabs. Their music boldly took on themes of q***rness, feminism, love, and revolution. But not without homophobic backlash.

Now, their fans are expressing their distress over Mashrou’ Leila’s disbandment all over social media.

"The fact that there will be no new Mashrou Leila songs ever makes my heart ache every time I'm reminded…”

“End of an era: Mashrou’ Leila disbanded due nationalism/ homophobia followed by the difficulty of surviving in exile. Their work loves forever. 🔥”

13/09/2022

pays tribute to trans women and femme men who have been excluded from Beirut’s history. For its fourth edition, it worked with Helem to put together “Treat Me Like Your Mother”.

They interviewed and photographed ten ladies. These ladies recount their stories as dancers, entertainers, celebrity figures, or survivors of abuse, discrimination, and the civil war.

This took place over the course of two weeks in 2019.

Members of the LGBTQI+ community in Lebanon are still discriminated against and their stories still suppressed.

01/09/2022

The anti-gay campaign views rainbow-coloured toys as brainwashing tools. It claims that this is part of a larger plot to “promote homos*xuality” and encourage children to engage in “s*xual deviance”.

01/09/2022

Fetrah is an anti-gay campaign that began on social media as a reaction to pride month in the Arab world. It claims that q***rness is an “erosion of the border between humans and animals” and is a form of s*xual deviance imported from the West.

Meta blocked the account on Facebook after it reached over half a million likes. But the hashtag continues with much popularity. The Twitter account still exists with over 75000 followers. It also has a link in its bio that allows one to overlay any picture with a frame of the Fetrah flag and the phrase “There are only two genders” through an image generation service. This service was used more than 26000 times.

Its aim is to return to what it sees as human nature: two genders that reproduce. This explains its use of the two colours pink and blue.

Check out the full article source below!

https://restofworld.org/2022/an-arabic-anti-lgbtq-campaign-is-going-viral-on-twitter/

30/08/2022

The Legal Agenda المفكرة القانونية and Helem have filed an appeal against Interior minister Bassam Mawlawi’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ gatherings in Lebanon.

This ban was made on the 24th of June to stop any gathering that in their belief promoted homos*xuality. This ban was legally baseless and made to also satisfy the wishes of religious figures. These gatherings were considered to oppose the norms and traditions of Lebanese society, and therefore were also considered a threat.

Now this decision is being contested for its violation of international human rights, the constitution, and the rule of civil law. Tarek Zeidan from Helem stated that this ban was based on a personal decision and could set a worrying precedent for the future rule of law.

|

تقدمت الخميس الماضي "المفكرة القانونية" و"حلم" بطعن أمام مجلس شورى الدولة ضد قرار وزير الداخلية بسام المولوي الصادر في 24/6/2022 بمنع أي لقاء أو تجمّع يتعلق بما أسماه "ظاهرة الشذوذ الجنسي" الذي أدّى إلى إلغاء لقاءات تتعلق بالمثلية الجنسية.
وكان الوزير قد استجاب لطلبات المراجع الدينية فمنع هذه اللقاءات لاعتباره أنها تتعارض مع التقاليد الاجتماعية ومبادئ الأديان السماوية. وأدّى قراره إلى إلغاء لقاءات تندد بسياسات التمييز ضد مجتمع "الميم-عين"، كما تبعه موجة من خطاب الكراهية والتحريض على المثليين والمثليات.
تكمن أهمية الطعن في التصدّي لسياسات التضييق على حريات المعتقد والتعبير والتجمّع والتحريض على الفئات المهمشة فيما شكّل محاولة من القوى الحاكمة لتحوير الانتباه إلى قضايا أخرى ذات طابع هويّاتي بهدف حجب الصراعات الاجتماعية والسياسية بينها وبين “المجتمع”.
وقد استند الطعن إلى عدم صلاحية الوزير لإصدار هكذا منع عام وإلى مخالفة القرار للدستور من خلال تقييده للحريات خلافاً لمبدأي الضرورة والتناسب وإلى تهديده السلم الأهلي وتحريضه ضد فئات مهمشة. كما استند إلى ضرورة التزام الدولة بموقف محايد تجاه الأديان إحتراماً لحرية المعتقد.

للمزيد من التفاصيل:
- ملاحظات "المفكرة" حول قرار وزير الداخلية:
https://bit.ly/3QWeijq
- بيان تحالف حرية الرأي والتعبير:
https://bit.ly/3CF2eyW
- الدين والسياسية و"المثلية": أبرز المواقف في جولة ٢٠٢٢
https://bit.ly/3KHNtgR

Helem

24/08/2022

The conference “Shzooz Normal or Perversion” was held last Thursday in the halls of the municipality of Saida. It is there that they launched their “Not Normal” campaign against the LGBTQ+ community.

The halls were filled with more than 200 people and a high number of volunteers. The event was organised and publicised, with the whole conference filmed live. People of all ages and families were there to attend.

The speakers at the anti-gay conference were M***i Dr. Madrar Habal, M***i Sheikh Ahmed Talib, Bishop Dr. Eli Haddad, represented by Father Sulaiman Wahbe, Judge Hamza Sharafuddin, Dr. Saeed Shaban, and psychiatrist Huda Qadoura.

They claimed that the LGBTQ+ community compromises the freedom of expression of the country and that their existence violates this environment rather than the other way around. They framed this homophobic campaign as part of a patriotic social awareness campaign.

They read out their statistics of high rates of monkey pox, s*xually transmitted diseases, and cancer among the community. They then linked this to the members’ inherent abnormality.

They said that the LGBTQ+ members should be empathised with and pitied so long as they accept conversion and treatment for their abnormality. The alternative solution is intolerance and punishment.They interpreted article 534 as a law that clearly opposes homos*xuality and that should be used to preserve the country’s values.

It was decided in this conference that there is no place for the LGBTQ+ community. They should either be fixed or gotten rid of.

The conference ended with a vague video testimony of someone who has supposedly recovered from their homos*xuality. Their face did not appear. Instead this video used snippets of different films and takes with only this voice as it’s supposed testimony.

17/08/2022

The anti-homos*xuality movement’s Instagram page was just reported. The movement’s campaign is "Not Normal” to allude to the LGBTQ+ community. Although it is off Instagram, it is still on many of the billboards in Saida.

16/08/2022

“"Homos*xuality: Normal or Perversion?" » This is the title of a conference that will be held next week in Saida in the place of a concert. It is part of the “Not Normal” campaign — a campaign against anything they see as LGBTQ+ related.

This started with a choir concert that was meant to take place in Saida’s Municipal Stadium. Its plan was to hold a parade with Maya Nemah and other Tiktokers.
But religious clerics started the campaign with “Before the City Drowns” as its slogan to oppose this “parade of naked bodies.”

As mosque imams and social media groups and individuals criticised the “diva”clothes of the concert, the municipality changed the venue and withdrew its sponsorship. The municipality is also set to hold this homophobic conference in its halls next week.

This is happening two months after the Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi banned gatherings that “promote homos*xuality”.


Source: Megaphone - ميغافون

13/08/2022

Zuhal, also one of the speakers at the Arc Conversations, explains what it means to be a drag queen in general, in Lebanon, and in her life specifically.

Zuhal talks about the history of drag during Shakespearean times and it’s current influence on make up culture as well as popular culture overall.

Zuhal also shares her own experience as a drag queen in the country and the resilience it requires.

12/08/2022

At the Arc Conversations, Danielle Yaacoub talked about article 534, it’s ambiguity, and the ability to interpret it in ways that do not harm the LGBTQ+ community.

Danielle is a lawyer who defends the Meme community. Her journey first began when her close friend came out to her as gay and feared that she would no longer want to be friends with him. She began to see the injustices against the community and to fight them. She comes from a family with a respectable reputation in the legal field. When judges and lawyers who knew her relatives would see her defend the community they were shocked.

She talks about one of her past cases. She was defending a non-Lebanese transgender woman who was unjustly imprisoned for forty days. This woman was a victim of transphobia and the Kafala system at the same time. Danielle advocated for her release and was only listened to when she told them that this woman was going to kill herself in prison. They acquiesced and left the woman outside on the streets.

10/08/2022

LGBTQ+ gatherings in Lebanon continue, in spite of bans, crackdowns, and threats.

Yesterday, the 9th of August 2022, the Ark Conversations collaborated with MOSAIC, an NGO that defends marginalised communities, including the LGBTQ+ community. For its first episode, Sana Awar hosted the series about the LGBT+ community in Lebanon.

The guest speakers were lawyer Danielle Yaacoub, drag queen Zuhal, mental health expert Pascale Kolakez, and feminist activist and author Joumana Haddad.

Topics discussed were sacred family units, the influence of religion, homophobic laws and norms, the lives of LGBTQ+ activists and drag queens in Lebanon, and more.

+

08/08/2022

03/08/2022

حكي نسوي Haki Nasawi reveals the hypocrisy of the Israeli government’s support of the LGBT movement. In the last 20 years people have started to pay more attention to human rights, and more specifically the abuse of these rights by Israel.

This pink washing is used by Israel, according to this video, to distract the international world from its human rights abuses in Palestine. Their actions have also wreaked havoc in Lebanon. Examples are the massacres in Qana, Sabra, and Chatila.

🏳️‍🌈

https://youtu.be/GMve4kncRZU

شكرا لمشاهدة الفيديو. للدعم، لايك، شير وسبسكرايب ♡---Platforms منصات ودعمPatreon https://www.patreon.com/hakinasawiFacebook https://www.facebook.com/hakinasa...

02/08/2022

01/08/2022

A feminist march took place yesterday, the 31st of July, to oppose the governmental rule, and to defend women’s rights as well as the rights of the marginalised.

They marched from the ring bridge to Ein Mreisseh and titled this march “we refuse, we unite we move.”

One large poster asserted in Arabic that “we are all priorities: women, refugees, q***r workers, migrant workers.”

#ثورة

29/07/2022

“Now, I’m a fully transitioned woman except for my p***s; I still have it and probably will not get rid of it.” Lulua believes that manhood and womanhood are different from our biological s*x or genitalia.

This article dares to open a very taboo subject in the Arab world: ma********on. It goes further to dissect this subject through a q***r lens: ma********on for gender non-conforming individuals.

Three friends open up about their experience with ma********on, whether it’s shame and guilt, self-pleasure as opposed to pleasure with someone else, the exploration of one’s s*xuality, and at times the experience of all three at the same time.

Check out to find out more about the self-pleasuring experience of a gay Jordanian man, a transgender woman, and a bis*xual wife.

English بقلم محمد نصراللهتصوير: هادي موصللي العادة السرية أو الاستمناء بالفصحى، اللي مش عنجد سرية لكن نمارسها بالسر بأغلب الأحيان. بهاد المقال رح نتطرق لموضوع العادة ا....

27/07/2022

-- anonymous submission --

The patriarchy takes over the Parliament's first legislative session and will likely try to take over the next one too. Nabih Berri may be seen through his words and behavior as the embodiment of this patriarchy. He tells MP Halimé Kaakour to "sit down and shut up." And when she objected to this patriarchal behaviour, Farid El Khazen defended Berri and what he believed was an attack on the Patriarch.

Cynthia Zarzier left angry. She stated that their "s*xism outweighed their manliness". When she was first handed over her office, she found it in a dire state with pl***oy magazines and used condoms all over the place. She has also been called "Sarsour" , a cockroach, to mock her surname.

She added that if she, as an elected MP, is this disrespected, how about the rest of the people whose voices are dismissed or repressed.

It is this very same patriarchal ideology that has affected recent human rights violations on the Meme community. MP Ashraf Rifi, for instance, had stated on a previous occasion that "promoting homos*xuality is inconsistent with the principles, history, and customs of our society."

A threat to this patriarchal structure, be it by women's empowerment in politics or the meme community's freedom of expression, is instantly shut down or labelled deviant.

23/07/2022

“They have started a campaign essentially to demand an end to the LGBT community.”

During and after Pride month, there was a strong backlash against the LGBT community in the Arab world. This can be seen clearly in the hashtag that became very popular on social media. The page reached 2 million followers before it was shut down.

The homophobic hashtag still continues with great popularity. There has been a slow social media response to shutting it down, which in turn risks more hate crimes in the short and the longer term.

https://twitter.com/i24news_en/status/1549471788563824645?s=21&t=5IYopQxF0jpSBugxbAerig


#فطره

“With rising awareness of the LGBT community, a backlash is rising in the Arab world Human rights activist tells that social media platforms have been slow to act against homophobic hashtags that are going viral such as (natural)”

21/07/2022

“It really felt like they wanted to just distract the masses from everything going on and focus on this hot topic,” Nour, who asked to use a pseudonym because he has not come out to family, told The Associated Press.

He now opts to stay at home, fearing for his safety more than ever after a wave of anti-LGBTQ hate speech that followed last month’s decision by the Lebanese Interior Ministry to shut down any events aimed at promoting “s*xual perversion.”

Since the clampdowns during pride month, human rights groups have spoken up. They have criticised the government for targeting marginalised groups and ignoring the worsening economic crisis. They have also brought up the slow investigation of the August 4 blast and the rise in crime.

https://www.voanews.com/amp/lebanon-lgbtq-community-suffers-setback-amid-wider-clampdown-/6663098.html

BEIRUT (AP) — Nour never felt entirely safe as a q***r person in Lebanon. But in the past few years, the 25-year-old pharmacist had begun letting his guard down, meeting with friends in LGBTQ-friendly spaces in Beirut and even performing in drag shows.

19/07/2022

« We can’t afford to lose Beirut. I don’t say this because I’m Lebanese. I say this because I run an organisation that receives anywhere between 5 to 10 requests a week of people from Egypt, from Jordan, from Iraq, from all over the gulf, from Yemen, saying can you help me get to Beirut. If we lose this place, it’s done. » ~ Tarek Zeidan, Helem

This 30 minute film is about the q***r revolution in the Middle East. Watch to learn more about the rise of Mashrou’ Leila, the death of Sarah Hegazi, the August 4 blast. The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2022/jun/22/one-good-song-can-do-more-than-5000-protests-the-q***r-revolution-in-the-middle-east

Mashrou’ Leila were one of the biggest bands in the Middle East, with a lead singer, Hamed, who is the firstly openly gay rock star in the Arab world. Known globally, their gigs were regular sell-out successes until an event at their 2017 Cairo concert changed everything. Playing to 35,000 people,...

17/07/2022

Queer-friendly gatherings may be banned in Lebanon, but in New York and Canada, they are thriving.

Laylit — “the night of” — is a party based in these two cities that places music from the MENA region. It has become so popular that it’s last event in Brooklyn was moved to a far larger hall with over 800 people, a huge disco ball, an extravagant light show.

Above all, the Lebanese drag queen and pioneer Anya Kneez gave a dazzling performance. Not so long ago, regular Middle Eastern events in the West were far from common. Now, they are thriving and challenging traditional, heteros*xual norms in the Middle East as they do so.

Check out the New York Times for the full article!

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/16/nyregion/brooklyn-laylit-middle-east-north-africa.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/16/nyregion/brooklyn-laylit-middle-east-north-africa.html?referringSource=articleShare

Several New York City parties offer spaces where anyone and everyone can let loose, come together and find comfort in Middle Eastern and North African music.