LGBTQ rights in Lebanon

LGBTQ rights in Lebanon
Location of Lebanon in the Mediterranean region.
Legal status	Ambiguous
Penalty	Up to one year of imprisonment.
Gender identity	Ambiguous
Military	No
Discrimination protections	No
Family rights
Recognition of relationships	No recognition of same-sex unions
Adoption	No

Lebanon is considerably more tolerant of homosexuality than neighboring countries. Efforts to advance LGBTQ rights and protections in Lebanon have made significant strides in recent years, particularly through judicial rulings, civil-society advocacy and growing public visibility. LGBTQ people in Lebanon have established visible social, cultural and political communities, participating in public demonstrations, artistic activities and advocacy campaigns. Several LGBTQ-oriented entertainment venues operate freely in Beirut, contributing to a visible LGBTQ social scene in which some LGBTQ people live openly, particularly within the city's nightlife and cultural communities. However, LGBTQ people living in Lebanon still face discrimination and legal difficulties not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents, and their visibility in public spaces remains constrained by discrimination, harassment and sometimes security concerns.

History

Antiquity

Neither Phoenician nor Ancient Greek languages possessed a term corresponding precisely to the modern concept of “homosexuality” as a fixed or enduring sexual orientation. People in ancient Lebanon certainly experienced same-sex desire and probably engaged in same-sex relationships, but their societies did not generally organize those experiences around the modern category of a gay sexual identity. While Phoenician religion featured deities associated with fertility, sexuality, and gender ambiguity, later accusations of sexual—including same-sex—acts in ancient Levantine societies, particularly those found in early Christian sources, should be treated cautiously because of their polemical portrayal of pagan religion as morally corrupt. For example, in an old Christian-era interpretation, Phoenicians were believed to worship Astarte through sexual acts, including those involving men perceived as effeminate, reflecting the belief that sexual desire and its fulfillment were forms of devotion that corresponded with the goddess’s nature. According to Eusebius, the worship of Astarte at Aphaca (modern-day Afqa, Lebanon) was notorious for sexual excess, with effeminate men participating in rituals intended to honor the goddess through sexual acts.

Cults devoted to goddesses and composed of male devotees who adopted feminine forms of dress and behavior flourished in Phoenicia as it did across the broader Mediterranean and western Semitic world. Among the examples are the qedesha, the male “temple prostitutes” mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and reflected in Ugaritic texts from the late second millennium BCE, and the keleb, priests associated with Astarte at Kition, an ancient Phoenician city-kingdom on the southern coast of Cyprus. The Galli were male religious devotees who adopted feminine clothing, appearance, and behavior, and performed ecstatic dances and rituals while carrying symbols of their goddess, sometimes engaging in sexual acts as part of their religious practices. Although these figures emerged in different contexts, they share several recurring characteristics: devotion to a goddess, the transgression of conventional gender norms, and associations with male same-sex sexuality.

While no Phoenician equivalent of the surviving Greek literature on male lovers has been found, it is plausible that Phoenician society, like some neighboring Mediterranean cultures, did not necessarily regard a man's sexual relations with other men as incompatible with marriage to women and fatherhood. An elite man, for example, could potentially have sexual relations with another male while also marrying women and having children. These roles would not necessarily have been understood as contradictory. What could have mattered more socially was whether he continued to fulfill the expected masculine, familial, and social roles associated with his status.

Early Christian Period

With the spread of Christianity across the eastern Mediterranean, same-sex sexual behavior increasingly came under moral condemnation and regulation, reshaping the sexual norms of formerly Phoenician cities. Stoic ethics viewed sexual desire as irrational and potentially harmful, generally permitting sexual intercourse only within marriage and for procreation; these ideas influenced early Christian sexual ethics in the Eastern Mediterranean, especially Phoenicia, and are evident in the teachings of Paul the Apostle.

Byzantine Period

Under the Byzantine Empire, which included Tyre, Sidon, Beirut, and other cities of the Phoenician coast, particularly from the reign of Justinian onward, Christian moral teaching and imperial legislation increasingly condemned male same-sex sexual activity, at times imposing severe penalties including execution and corporal punishment, although enforcement varied considerably and same-sex relationships continued to exist within Byzantine society.

Muslim Conquest Period

Following the Muslim conquest of the Levant, the Christian cities of the Lebanese coast were incorporated into an Islamic political and legal order in which male same-sex intercourse was generally condemned by Muslim jurists, although the precise penalties and their application varied among legal traditions. This condemnation did not eliminate same-sex desire or behavior, however: by the ninth and tenth centuries, Arabic literary, poetic, and other sources depicted homoerotic behavior as part of urban and elite society, even while religious and legal traditions continued to regulate sexual conduct.

Ottoman Period

Classical Islamic law generally condemned liwāṭ (male anal intercourse), but the Hanafi school—the principal school followed by the Ottoman state—was comparatively cautious about imposing the severe hudud punishments associated with explicitly Qur'anic offenses; Ottoman jurists and legislators therefore distinguished between religious sin, criminal offense, and the punishments that could actually be imposed. Under Ottoman rule, same-sex sexuality was governed by a complex combination of Islamic jurisprudence, imperial legislation, and social custom rather than by a modern concept of homosexual identity. Male–male eroticism remained visible in Ottoman literature and urban culture, while particular sexual acts could be condemned or punished under Islamic and Ottoman law; during the nineteenth-century Tanzimat reforms, Ottoman legal and intellectual culture increasingly adopted European concepts of sexuality, contributing to a shift toward understanding homosexuality as a distinct and potentially pathological category.

An especially useful piece of evidence comes from a 1912 Ottoman prison survey of Beni Saab prison, then within Beirut Province. Of the 373 sentenced prisoners, three men had been convicted of fiʿil-i şenî (“deviant sexual behavior”), for which they received prison sentences of three to six months. In late Ottoman usage, the term could refer to sodomy as well as other forms of sexual conduct prohibited under Islamic law, including prostitution; consequently, the record demonstrates that Ottoman authorities prosecuted some forms of prohibited sexual behavior, although it cannot establish the prevalence of same-sex relationships or the existence of systematic persecution of homosexuals.

French Mandate and independence

Modern criminalization of same-sex relations in Lebanon cannot simply be traced back to Ottoman Islamic law. Ivan Strenski argues that although Lebanon inherited elements of Ottoman and Islamic legal traditions, the French legal codes adopted during the Ottoman reform period did not themselves criminalize consensual same-sex relations; instead, he identifies the later development of Article 534 with a combination of pre-existing Lebanese Christian legal traditions and Jesuit-influenced Maronite moral theology. Article 534 was enacted on March 1, 1943, as part of Lebanon's Penal Code under Legislative Decree No. 340, approximately eight months before Lebanon achieved effective independence from the French Mandate on November 22, 1943.

Emergence of the modern LGBTQ movement

See also: LGBTQ movements

Rainbow Map of Lebanon

Logo of Beirut Pride

Organized LGBTQ rights activism in Lebanon emerged in the early 2000s, initially through largely clandestine networks and groups that challenged the criminalization and social stigma surrounding homosexuality.

Members of the Lebanese LGBTQ community began publicly organizing for LGBTQ rights in 2002 with the creation of Hurriyyat Khassa (“Private Liberties”), a Lebanese human-rights organization founded on 1 October 2002 that advocated, among other causes, the decriminalization of homosexuality and challenged proposed changes to Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code.

Helem (Arabic: حلم, meaning “dream”), a Lebanese LGBTQIA+ rights organization based in Beirut, emerged from earlier underground queer organizing and was formally registered with the Lebanese Ministry of Interior in September 2004. Helem became the first publicly visible LGBTQ rights organization in the Arab world and a major force in the movement to repeal Article 534 of the Penal Code. The organization advocates for the decriminalization of consensual same-sex relations and the protection of LGBTQ people from discrimination, while also providing legal assistance, community support, emergency services, and health and HIV-prevention programs. In 2009, Helem launched a report examining the legal status of homosexuality in Arab countries, with particular reports on Lebanon and Tunisia. The report, titled Homosexual Relations in Penal Codes: General Study on Laws in Arab Countries with Reports on Lebanon and Tunisia, examined legislation in 20 Arab countries and analyzed the impact of laws criminalizing same-sex relations on the civil, political, social, economic, and cultural rights of LGBT people.

In 2006, Helem celebrated the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia at the Monroe Hotel in downtown Beirut.

Subsequent organizations, including LebMASH, Meem, and MOSAIC expanded activism into women's rights, healthcare, legal advocacy, and opposition to the pathologization of homosexuality.

In August 2007, a lesbian NGO named Meem was founded to support lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning women in Lebanon. The group offers community support, psychological counselling, an activity center, legal support, social events, and the opportunity to work on social change. Meem also hosts a Womyn House that serves as an activity and resource center in Beirut.

In 2012, the Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health (LebMASH) was established as a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the sexual health and healthcare of LGBTQ people in Lebanon, advocating for inclusive medical practices and opposing the pathologization of homosexuality and so-called conversion therapy.

MOSAIC (MENA Organization for Services, Advocacy, Integration and Capacity Building) is a Lebanese civil-society organization founded in September 2014 by activists and legal and health experts. It provides services to marginalized groups in Lebanon and the wider West Asia and North Africa region, with particular attention to LGBTIQ+ people, and works on research, policy advocacy, capacity building and the prevention of human-rights violations.

On 15 May 2016, around 50 LGBT activists organized by Helem staged a sit-in outside the Hbeish police station in Beirut, calling for the repeal of Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code and the release of four transgender women.

In March 2017, the American University of Beirut (AUB) cancelled a lecture organized by its Insight Club entitled “Homosexuality in Lebanon: The Challenges of Modernity,” which was to feature speakers who had publicly promoted the view that homosexuality was an illness that could be treated through conversion therapy. The cancellation followed significant opposition from AUB students and the university's Gender and Sexuality Club, which launched a petition against the event that received more than 670 signatures. AUB has subsequently established formal anti-discrimination mechanisms covering sexual orientation.

The inaugural Beirut Pride was planned for 21 May 2017, but LGBT activists were forced to hold a private event due to fear of violence from police and radical Islamists. In 2018, the organizer of Beirut Pride, Hadi Damien, was arrested. The Prosecutor of Beirut suspended all the scheduled events, and initiated criminal proceedings against Hadi for organizing events that "incite to debauchery".

The LGBTQ Lebanese diaspora in Europe, North America, Latin America, and Australia has established a visible presence through Helem affiliates in cities with significant Lebanese communities, including Montreal, where Helem has obtained legal registration. and Paris.

Despite setbacks, especially during the period of Hezbollah hegemony over government, the movement's efforts contributed to a series of Lebanese court rulings beginning in 2007 that declined to apply Article 534 to consensual same-sex relations, culminating in a 2018 appeals-court ruling that held that consensual same-sex relations were not an “unnatural offense.”

Development of LGBTQ terminology

Lebanese LGBTQ activists played an important role in the development and popularization of contemporary Arabic terminology for sexual and gender minorities. The term **«مثلي» (mithlī)**, meaning homosexual or same-sex, is an Arabic term that predates contemporary Lebanese LGBTQ activism and therefore should not be described as a term invented by Lebanese activists. However, Lebanese activists contributed to its use as a self-descriptive alternative to the derogatory term **«شاذ»**, particularly through the emergence of organized LGBTQ activism in Lebanon in the early 2000s. The expression **«مجتمع الميم» (Mujtamaʿ al-Mīm)**, meanwhile, emerged as an Arabic acronymic expression based on the letter **م**, and became particularly prominent in Lebanese LGBTQ advocacy and media. The later expression **«مجتمع الميم عين» (Mujtamaʿ al-Mīm ʿAyn)** expanded the terminology, with **ع** referring to transgender people (*عابرون/عابرات*), and has subsequently been used across Arabic-speaking LGBTQ communities.

Legal status and rights

Although some Christian and Islamic religious traditions have historically condemned same-sex sexual relations, the principal statutory basis for their criminalization in Lebanon is Article 534 of the Penal Code, which was enacted in 1943 during the French Mandate; however, scholars have disputed the characterization of Article 534 as simply a French colonial law, arguing that its formulation was also shaped by Lebanese religious and legal traditions.

Article 534 and same-sex sexual activity

Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code prohibits having sexual relations "contradicting the laws of nature," which is punishable by up to a year in prison.

Various courts have ruled that Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code should not be used to arrest LGBTQ people. Nonetheless, the law is still being used to harass and persecute LGBTQ people through occasional police arrests, in which detainees are sometimes subject to intrusive physical examinations.

Use of Article 534 and opposition to its enforcement

Georges Azzi, executive director of the Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality, told the Washington Blade in 2017: "Homosexuality is technically illegal in Lebanon, however the new generation of judges are less likely to apply the law and the police forces will not reinforce it." While enforcement of the law is inconsistent, it often involves occasional police arrests of people suspected of same-sex conduct.

In 2002, the police broke into a woman's house after her mother claimed that her daughter had stolen some money and jewelry. Upon entering the house, the police found the woman having sexual relations with another woman and charged them both with the crime of sodomy.

On 28 July 2012, the Internal Security Forces raided a cinema in Burj Hammoud, a suburb north of Beirut, suspected of screening pornographic films and arrested 36 men. The detainees were transferred to Hobeish police station, where forensic doctors, acting on orders from the public prosecutor, subjected them to anal examinations intended to determine whether they had engaged in same-sex sexual activity. Three of the men were subsequently charged under Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code, partly on the basis of the examinations. The arrests and forced examinations provoked widespread condemnation from LGBTQ and human-rights organizations, medical professionals, government officials, and sections of the Lebanese media. Helem and The Legal Agenda launched a campaign known as the “Tests of Shame” and organized a public demonstration in August 2012 demanding an end to the examinations. The Lebanese Doctors' Syndicate also condemned the practice as medically and scientifically useless and as a form of torture, subsequently directing doctors not to perform the examinations. Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi likewise called for an end to the practice, although the public prosecutor subsequently issued a directive that appeared to permit the examinations under certain conditions. The incident also received substantial media coverage, with LBCI reportedly opening one evening broadcast by declaring “This is the Republic of Shame.”

In August 2014, the Internal Security Forces Morals Protection Bureau conducted a raid on a Turkish bathhouse in Beirut, resulting in the arrest of 27 Syrians. According to a report co-produced with Helem, the stated reason for the raid was the suspected "presence of homosexual individuals." The raid provoked condemnation from Helem and several Lebanese LGBTQ and human-rights organizations, including the Arab Foundation for Freedom and Equality, M-Coalition, Marsa Sexual Health Center, and the Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health. In a joint statement, the organizations described the arrests as a homophobic practice, noting that no public sexual activity had taken place at the bathhouse and that police questioning had focused primarily on the detainees' alleged sexual orientation. They called for the immediate release of the detainees and respect for their dignity and bodily rights. Subsequent reports documented allegations of physical and verbal abuse against those arrested, including homophobic abuse and racist treatment of Syrian detainees.

Judicial challenges to Article 534

In 2007, Judge Mounir Suleiman called a halt to a criminal investigation of two men arrested under Article 534. He disputed that homosexuality was "contrary to the rules of nature" and noted that what was seen as "unnatural" reflected the social mores of the time.

In 2011, a Lebanese judge in Batroun ruled against the use of Article 534 to prosecute homosexuals.

In 2012, then Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi weighed in on the use of anal examinations on men accused of same-sex conduct, issuing a statement calling for an end to this practice. Local and transnational LGBTQ and human rights activists and groups launched a campaign against the use of forced anal examinations as tests for homosexual sex. The exams, often coupled with compulsory HIV tests, were framed as a form of torture conducted on men suspected of engaging in sex with other men.

In April 2013, the Mayor of Dekwaneh, a suburb north of Beirut, ordered security forces to raid and shut down a gay-friendly nightclub. Several club-goers were arrested and forced to undress in the municipal headquarters, where they were then photographed naked. This operation was condemned by numerous gay rights activists. Lebanon's Interior Minister of the Interim Government, Marwan Charbel, supported the Mayor of Dekwaneh saying, "Lebanon is opposed to homosexuality, and according to Lebanese law it is a criminal offense."

On 28 January 2014, a court in the municipality of Jdeideh threw out a case against a transgender woman accused of having an "unnatural" sexual relationship with a man.

In 2016, a Lebanese misdemeanors court issued a ruling that Article 534 of the criminal code does not apply to gay sex because gay sex is not unnatural, which was seen as a significant victory for gay rights and activism in the country.

In January 2017, a Lebanese judge challenged the legal basis of the arrest of men for same-sex conduct. In his ruling, Justice Rabih Maalouf, in Lebanon's Metn district, referred to a penal code provision protecting freedom of expression, Article 183, which states that "an act undertaken in exercise of a right without abuse shall not be regarded as an offense... If no harm is done, there is no crime," the judge wrote in his decision. Despite these rulings, Article 534 of the Penal Code still stands. The court ruled that consensual intimate relations between people of the same sex constituted a natural right and therefore could not be criminalized. The defense, provided by lawyers from Legal Agenda, argued that denying such rights would constitute discrimination and violate existing law. The judge further stated that the role of the judiciary was not to convict individuals based on prevailing public opinion, but to protect the fundamental rights of individuals.

In July 2018, the Penal Appeal Court of Mount Lebanon upheld a lower court ruling which acquitted nine people prosecuted over being gay. The lower court held that homosexuality was "a practice of their fundamental rights." The Appeal Court agreed and found that consensual sex between same-sex partners cannot be considered "unnatural" so long as it does not violate morality and ethics, such as "when it is seen or heard by others, or performed in a public place, or involving a minor who must be protected." Activists welcomed the ruling and called on the Government to repeal Article 534. This ruling was the fifth of its kind in Lebanon, and the first from such a high-level court.

In 2019, Military Court Judge Peter Germanos acquitted four military personnel accused of "sodomy" in a landmark ruling, clearing the group of charges of committing sexual acts "contrary to nature" and declaring that sodomy is "not punishable by law."

In June 2022, while Bassam Mawlawi was serving as Lebanon's Minister of Interior in a Hezbollah-controlled government, he instructed the Internal Security Forces and General Security to ban Pride Month celebration organized by the LGBTQ rights group Helem, which he claimed aimed at “promoting sexual perversion.” The Legal Agenda and Helem challenged Mawlawi's decision before the Shura Council, Lebanon's highest administrative court, arguing that the ban violated LGBTQ people's constitutional rights to equality, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly. On 1 November 2022, the Shura Council accepted the appeal and suspended implementation of Mawlawi's directive.

A district court of appeal in Lebanon ruled, on 20 August 2023, that consensual sex between people of the same sex is not unlawful and should not be criminalized under Lebanese law, Human Rights Watch said. The ruling follows similar judgments from lower courts that have declined to convict gay and transgender people of "sexual intercourse contrary to nature" in four separate rulings between 2007 and 2017. It is the first such ruling from an appeals court and moves Lebanon further toward decriminalizing homosexual conduct in Lebanon. "This ruling signals a new horizon for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Lebanon, who have long been persecuted under discriminatory laws," said Neela Ghoshal, senior researcher on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights at Human Rights Watch. "The court has effectively ordered the state to get out of people's bedrooms."

Conversion therapy

On 11 July 2013, the Lebanese Psychiatric Society (LPS) and the Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health (LebMASH) issued statements affirming that homosexuality is not a disease and does not require treatment, and opposing so-called “reparative” or “conversion” therapy released a statement saying that homosexuality is not a mental disorder and does not need to be treated, stating that conversion therapy has no scientific background and asked health professionals to "rely only on science" when giving opinion and treatment in this matter. This made Lebanon the first Arab country to declassify homosexuality as a "disease".

A 2018 community pilot project conducted by LebMASH and Helem documented reports from people subjected to such practices and interviewed mental-health professionals and practitioners; reported methods included counseling and, in one documented case, electroshock and emetic medication administered while patients watched gay pornography. Participants reported psychological harms including anxiety, depression, guilt, shame, and suicidal thoughts. The U.S. Department of State subsequently reported that faith-based organizations continued to offer sexual-orientation change efforts in Lebanon and that at least one LGBTQI+ person was reportedly forced by family members to undergo such treatment.

Gender identity and expression

In January 2016, the Court of Appeals of Beirut confirmed the right of a transgender man to change his official papers, granting him access to necessary treatment and privacy. Transgender people are required to undergo sex reassignment surgery in order to change their legal gender.

In 2026, Judge Wassim Zahr al-Din, the civil judge responsible for personal status cases in Bint Jbeil, a predominately Shia province, ordered R. D.’s name and sex to be amended in Lebanon’s civil status records, allowing the transgender woman to change the sex on her official documents from male to female, a ruling that he acknowledged had sparked significant public and religious criticism but defended as legally and conscientiously justified.

Blood donation restrictions

Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health permanently excludes men who have had sexual contact with another man from donating blood, with the Lebanese Committee of Blood Transfusion's donor-eligibility criteria specifying that male donors who have had sexual contact with another male, even once, are permanently deferred.

LGBTQ organizations and community groups

LGBTQ organizations in Lebanon

Organization	Founded	Status	Focus	References
Helem	2000	Active	LGBTQIA+ rights advocacy, legal reform, community support, research, and documentation of human-rights violations.
Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality (AFE)	2010	Active	Sexual and gender minority rights, advocacy, capacity building, research, and regional LGBTQ+ activism.
Proud Lebanon	2013	Active	LGBTIQ+ community support, legal assistance, psychosocial and medical services, HIV-related services, and advocacy.
Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health (LebMASH)	2012	Active	Sexual and reproductive health, healthcare equity, LGBT health, medical education, research, and advocacy.
MOSAIC	—	Active	Community health, psychosocial support, and services for marginalized communities, including LGBTQ+ people.
M-Coalition	—	Active	HIV prevention, health services, community support, and advocacy, particularly among men who have sex with men and other vulnerable populations.
Marsa Sexual Health Center	2011	Active	Sexual-health services, sexual-health education, and services relevant to LGBTQ+ communities.
Meem	2007	Defunct (2014)	Lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer women's community organizing, psychosocial support, legal support, and feminist activism.

LGBTQ Culture in Lebanon

LGBTQ culture in Lebanon has developed a significant presence in the arts, particularly through film, photography, visual art, literature, music, and performance, with queer Lebanese artists using creative practices to explore sexuality, gender, identity, memory, and social norms. While Lebanese authorities have at times restricted or censored LGBTQ-related expression and events, particularly in response to pressure from religious and political groups, LGBTQ themes have become increasingly visible in Lebanese cinema, literature, theatre, and other forms of popular culture since the 2000s. This increased cultural visibility has occurred alongside continuing legal and social restrictions, rather than representing a comprehensive liberalization of LGBTQ rights.

Cinema

Lebanese cinema has increasingly addressed LGBTQ themes, particularly from the 2000s onward. Early works tended to document or indirectly explore homosexuality, while a more explicitly queer Lebanese cinema emerged during the 2010s, with openly gay Lebanese filmmakers producing films in which sexuality and queer identity became central subjects.

Several Lebanese film and cultural institutions have supported LGBTQ-related filmmaking, including the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), which has funded films exploring queer identities and LGBTQ rights; AFLAMUNA (formerly Beirut DC/Beirut Cinema Platform), which supports independent and underrepresented Arab filmmakers and has promoted queer cinema; and Fondation Liban Cinema, whose Lebanese Film Fund and film publications have supported or documented Lebanese films dealing with LGBTQ themes.

Maintream representation

• How I Love You (Shū Bḥibak, 2001) — a 29-minute video work by Lebanese artist Akram Zaatari exploring sexuality among gay men in Lebanon. The film features a gay couple and three other men discussing sex, relationships, their bodies, love and social attitudes toward homosexuality.

• Out Loud (2011) — a Lebanese drama written and directed by Samer Daboul that centers on a group of friends in Lebanon and includes a persecuted gay couple. The film has been described as Lebanon's first gay-themed commercial feature and as an important early work in Lebanese queer cinema.

• Caramel (2007) — directed by Nadine Labaki, this Lebanese film includes the character Rima, a woman who is attracted to another woman. Academic studies of the film have identified its treatment of lesbian desire as an important example of queer representation in Arab and West Asian cinema.

• The Beach House (Beit El Baher, 2016) — directed by Lebanese filmmaker Roy Dib, is a Lebanese drama centered on four friends who reunite at a beach house in Lebanon. The film includes a gay relationship between two of its male characters, Youssef and Rawad, whose relationship is gradually revealed during the course of the night. The film explores sexuality, desire, personal identity and social expectations alongside broader questions concerning Lebanese society and its political and ideological divisions. The film was subsequently screened at international queer-film festivals, including Queer Lisboa and Queer Porto, and was reportedly banned in Lebanon because of its depiction of the two male characters as lovers.

• Perfect Strangers (2022) — directed by Lebanese filmmaker Wissam Smayra and produced as a Lebanon–Egypt–United Arab Emirates production, is the Arabic-language adaptation of the Italian film Perfect Strangers. The film features Lebanese actor Fouad Yammine as Rabea, a gay man who has concealed his sexuality from his close friends and pretends to be in a relationship with a woman. His sexuality is revealed during a dinner-party game in which the friends agree to make their private phone calls and messages public. The film's treatment of Rabea brought homosexuality into mainstream Arab popular cinema and generated substantial controversy in the Arab world, including accusations that the film promoted homosexuality. Critics also noted that the film depicts the social pressure and fear that can force gay people to conceal their sexuality.

• Arzé (2024) — directed by Mira Shaib, is a Lebanese comedy-drama that includes queer representation through the casting of Lebanese queer performers. The film features the Lebanese drag artist and dancer Mohamad Al Khansa in the role of Nader, while openly gay comedian and actress Shaden Fakih also appears in the cast.

Emergence of Lebanese queer cinema

During the mid-2010s, a distinct wave of Lebanese queer cinema emerged, with openly gay Lebanese filmmakers making films that placed queer identity and sexuality at the center of their narratives.

• The Emperor of Austria (2016) — directed by Lebanese filmmaker Selim Mourad. It was identified by the Middle East Institute as one of four films released within a short period by openly gay Lebanese filmmakers and as part of the emerging Lebanese queer-cinema movement.

• Room for a Man (2017) — an autobiographical documentary by Lebanese filmmaker Anthony Chidiac concerning a young gay Lebanese man attempting to understand his identity, sexuality and relationship with his family. The film explores masculinity, family and the search for acceptance.

• Martyr (Shaheed, 2017) — a Lebanese-Italian drama directed by Mazen Khaled. The film follows Hassane, a young man from Beirut who accidentally drowns, and his friends as they attempt to return his body to his family. Although the characters' sexual orientations are never explicitly identified, the film's depiction of male friendship, physical intimacy and the male body has been widely interpreted as homoerotic and queer. BFI described the film as a work that pushes the boundaries of LGBTQ+ cinema, while The Guardian characterized its depiction of the men's relationships as homoerotic. The film was nominated for the Queer Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

• Chronic (2017) — directed by Lebanese filmmaker Mohamed Sabbah, the film follows Omar, a photographer who has lost his male lover in an explosion and turns his experience of grief into an artistic project. The film was presented at queer film festivals and was part of the emerging Lebanese queer-cinema movement identified by the Middle East Institute.

• Three Centimetres (2018) — a short film directed by Lebanese filmmaker Lara Zeidan and set in Beirut. The film follows four young women on a Ferris wheel as their conversation turns to sexuality and homosexuality, culminating in a coming-out confession. It won the Teddy Award for Best Short Film at the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival.

Contemporary queer cinema

• Miguel's War (2021) — a documentary directed by Eliane Raheb, portrays the life of Michel Jleilaty, a gay Lebanese man who left Lebanon for Spain after experiencing social and familial repression surrounding his sexuality. The film combines documentary interviews, animation, theatrical re-enactments and archival material to explore Miguel's childhood during the Lebanese Civil War, his struggles with masculinity and sexuality, his subsequent life in Spain, and his eventual return to Lebanon to confront his past. The film premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival in 2021 and won the Teddy Award for best LGBTQ-themed feature film.

• Shall I Compare You to a Summer's Day? (Bashtaalak sa'at, 2022), directed by Mohammad Shawky Hassan. The film explores the love between two men through a queer musical structure drawing on Arab popular culture and the One Thousand and One Nights tradition.

• Warsha (2022) — a short film directed by Dania Bdeir. It follows Mohammad, a Syrian migrant worker in Beirut who operates a construction crane and, while alone high above the city, finds a space in which to express his queer identity and drag persona. The film won the Short Film Jury Award for International Fiction at the Sundance Film Festival.

Film Festivals

• TransFocus, an independent film festival From 29 November to 1 December 2013 that revolved around trans* and gender-variant topics, questions, persons, and politics in Lebanon." The three-day event was non-profit, funded via online crowdsourcing, and was carried out by a "bunch of friends and local organizers" aimed to be "outside any institution, organization or collective; international or local." The event featured film screenings, a focused discussion panel, a resource collection project, and an exhibition. This marked the first Lebanese public film festival focusing on trans voices and topics.

• Cinema Al Fouad — a queer film festival launched in Beirut in June 2019 and named after Mohamed Soueid's 1993 film Cinema Fouad. Human Rights Watch described it as the first-ever queer film festival in Beirut. The festival presented works by queer Arab filmmakers and sought to challenge normative ideas about gender and sexuality and increase the visibility of queer identities in West Asia and North Africa. The festival was organized with the participation of human-rights organizations including Human Rights Watch, Legal Agenda, the Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality and Mosaic Lebanon.

• The Beirut Queer Film Festival (BQFF), a queer film festival held in Beirut, showcased Lebanese, Arab and international films addressing LGBTQ themes. The festival described itself as an “underground” queer film festival promoting tolerance, acceptance, human rights and freedom of choice. Its program included feature and short fiction, documentaries, animation and experimental films, web and new-media works, and music videos, with both national and international categories.

Drag scene

Bassem Feghali as Fairuz

Lebanon has developed one of the most visible drag scenes in the Arab world, particularly in Beirut, where drag performance has become an important form of LGBTQ cultural expression. Although contemporary Lebanese drag was influenced by international performers and television programs such as RuPaul's Drag Race, it also draws heavily on the tradition of female impersonation in Lebanese entertainment. Comedian and performer Bassem Feghali, who became prominent during the 1990s and 2000s for impersonating famous Lebanese female singers, is widely regarded as an important precursor and inspiration for the contemporary drag scene. Feghali has been performing on Lebanese television since 1996 and is especially popular throughout the Arab world for her parodies of well-known female pop singers.

The contemporary Beirut drag scene began to become more visible during the 2010s, with performers including Anya Kneez, Evita Kedavra, Latiza Bombé, Kawkab Zuhal and Anissa Krana performing in clubs and at drag balls. The scene combines elements of American drag culture with Lebanese and wider Arab cultural references, including performances inspired by singers such as Fairuz, Sabah and Haifa Wehbe. Drag performers have also described their work as a means of expressing queer identities and creating spaces of community and belonging.

Drag has also provided a form of cultural and political expression. Performances have incorporated Lebanese and Arab music, comedy, fashion and commentary on social and political issues, while performers have used drag to challenge conventional ideas about gender and sexuality. Academic research on queer performance in Lebanon has examined drag and camp as forms of bodily expression through which queer people negotiate gender, sexuality, class and sectarian identities.

The visibility of drag performers has nevertheless been accompanied by significant risks. Performances have often been organized discreetly, with venues and event details circulated privately because of concerns about harassment, police intervention and violence. In August 2023, a drag event in Beirut was attacked by members of the anti-LGBT group Soldiers of God, who threatened performers and attendees and forced the event to be stopped. Human Rights Watch described the incident as evidence of an increasingly hostile environment for LGBT people in Lebanon. Despite these pressures, the drag scene continued to operate underground. In 2023, SBS News described Lebanon as having an increasingly visible drag scene and profiled the performer Diva Beirut, whose performances combine lip-syncing, celebrity impersonation, oriental dancing and comedy. The report characterized the scene as a source of visibility and community for LGBTQ people despite government restrictions and broader social conservatism. In early 2025, drag performances and LGBTQ nightlife began to resume more visibly in Beirut following a period of heightened political and security restrictions, although organizers continued to keep venues and event details discreet because of concerns about attracting unwanted attention.

Literature and publications

Lebanon does not have a law specifically prohibiting LGBTQ publications, but LGBTQ-related print and other media have historically been subject to censorship under broader laws concerning public morality and sexual conduct. Nevertheless, according to Helem, authorities often searches mail entering or leaving Lebanon for LGBT-related books, magazines and films.

Literature

Lebanese and Lebanese-American writers have addressed homosexuality and queer identity in fiction, memoir, and other literary forms, particularly since the 1990s. One of the most prominent figures is Lebanese-American writer Rabih Alameddine, whose early fiction centers on gay Lebanese and Arab characters and explores sexuality, diaspora, AIDS, and the Lebanese Civil War.

• The Mills of Beirut (Tawāhīn Bayrūt, 1972) — a novel by Lebanese writer Tawfiq Yusuf Awwad set in Beirut during the period preceding the Lebanese Civil War. The novel explores sexuality, sexual repression, gender relations and the changing social environment of Beirut alongside sectarianism, political corruption and class divisions. Scholarship on modern Arabic literature identifies the novel among works that explicitly address sex and sexual practices, although it is not generally classified as a work of LGBTQ literature.
• Sitt Marie Rose (1977) — Adnan's influential novel about the Lebanese Civil War centers on a Christian Lebanese woman abducted and killed by militiamen after defending Palestinian refugees. Although Marie Rose is not portrayed as a lesbian character, the novel has been examined through queer and feminist perspectives because of its treatment of gender, sexuality, bodily autonomy and resistance to patriarchal and nationalist authority. Scholarly analyses describe Marie Rose's transgression of gender, national and religious boundaries as central to the novel's critique of Lebanese sectarian and patriarchal structures.
• I Am You (Ana Hiya Anti, 2000) — a novel by Lebanese writer Elham Mansour, first published in Beirut by Riad el-Rayyes. Set in late-1980s Beirut, the novel focuses on women who experience same-sex relationships and explores lesbian desire, sexuality and social attitudes toward homosexuality in Lebanon and the wider Middle East. Literary scholar Samar Habib described the novel as a groundbreaking work in Arabic literature and noted that its publication was controversial among Lebanese critics because of its treatment of homosexuality as a natural aspect of human relationships.
• The Stone of Laughter (Hajar al-Dahik, 1990) — a novel by Lebanese writer Hoda Barakat set during the Lebanese Civil War. Its protagonist, Khalil, is a gay Lebanese man whose sexuality, gender identity and alienation from conventional masculinity are central to the novel. Academic scholarship identifies the work as the first Arabic novel with a queer protagonist and argues that Khalil's queer identity functions as a form of resistance to the heteropatriarchal society surrounding him. The novel was awarded the Al-Naqid Prize and was subsequently translated into English as The Stone of Laughter.
• Koolaids: The Art of War (1998) — the debut novel of Rabih Alameddine, combines the Lebanese Civil War with the AIDS epidemic in the United States and follows several Lebanese and Lebanese-American characters, including Mohammad, a gay Lebanese painter. The novel portrays Mohammad's coming-out and self-acceptance and places his gay identity alongside the experiences of other Lebanese characters affected by war and displacement.
• The Perv (1999) — a collection of short stories by Alameddine dealing with Lebanese characters in the diaspora, including gay men. The collection explores sexuality, relationships, marginalization and the experiences of Lebanese queer people living between Arab and Western societies.
• Bareed Mista3jil: True Stories (2009) — a collection of personal narratives by Meem, a Lebanese LGBTQ organization. The book contains first-person accounts by lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer Lebanese people concerning relationships, family, religion, sexuality and discrimination. The organization is also called Nasawiya and is a group of activists who are involved in gender justice work. Available in both English and Arabic versions, the book is a collection of 41 true and personal stories from lesbians, bisexuals, queer and questioning women and transgender persons from all over Lebanon. The book was launched in Masrah Al Madina, Beirut by the Feminist Collective and IndyAct.Unlike fictional works, it presents queer Lebanese people describing their own lives and identities.
• Sea and Fog (2012) — a poetry collection by Etel Adnan that received the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Poetry. The award recognized the collection within lesbian literary culture and provides a particularly clear connection between Adnan's literary work and LGBTQ literature.
• The Angel of History (2016) — a novel by Alameddine centered on Jacob, a gay Arab-American poet whose life is shaped by the AIDS crisis, relationships, displacement and memories of the Middle East. The novel gives its gay protagonist a complex interior life and explores sexuality alongside religion, trauma and mortality.
• The Wrong End of the Telescope (2021) — a novel by Alameddine whose protagonist, Mina Simpson, is a Lebanese-American trans woman and physician. Although the central character is transgender rather than gay, the novel is significant to Lebanese queer literature because it examines gender identity, family estrangement, Arab identity and the experience of an LGBTQ Lebanese-American protagonist.
• The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) (2025) — a novel by Lebanese-American writer Rabih Alameddine centered on Raja, a 63-year-old gay philosophy teacher living in Beirut. The novel follows Raja's life from his childhood through the Lebanese Civil War, the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Beirut explosion, and Lebanon's financial crisis, while exploring his sexuality, relationships, family and experiences of homophobia. Raja also performs in drag, which becomes an important element of his identity and a metaphor for self-invention and resilience. The novel has been described as a humorous and deeply human portrayal of a gay Lebanese protagonist whose life and identity remain at the center of the narrative.

Publications

Lebanon became the first Arabic-speaking country with its own gay periodical, titled Barra ("Out" in Arabic). A trial issue was published in March 2005 with two full issues that followed in summer 2005 and spring 2006. Barra was published by Helem as a platform through which LGBTQ people could express their experiences and challenge prevailing media narratives about homosexuality. Helem also operates an official website and has published an online newsletter covering LGBTQ rights and issues in Lebanon and the wider Arab region.

Bekhsoos (Arabic: بخصوص, meaning roughly “concerning”) was a Lebanese queer publication established by members of Meem, a Lebanese LGBTQ and feminist organization. Founded in 2008 as a quarterly online magazine and relaunched in 2009 as a weekly publication, it published articles, personal testimonies, commentary, and creative writing concerning sexuality, gender and LGBTQ issues in Lebanon and the wider Arab world. Academic researchers have described Bekhsoos as an important platform for queer self-representation and the development of queer-feminist discourse in the Arab region.

Media campaigns

In May 2016, Proud Lebanon, a Lebanese non-profit organization, marked the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) by launching a media campaign. The campaign consisted of an awareness ad featuring several prominent Lebanese artists and celebrities calling on the Lebanese Government to provide equal rights to all citizens and residents regardless of sexual orientation, nationality, etc. The ad makes particular emphasis on the rights of the LGBT community to live in a society free of homophobia, since LGBT individuals may still face wide prejudice, coming mainly from conservatives or clerics.

In 2017, Helem launched the “Homophobia is Terrorism” campaign, an awareness campaign opposing anti-LGBTQ discrimination and rhetoric. The campaign included an Arabic-language television advertisement in which LGBTQ people addressed viewers about discrimination and called for acceptance; the advertisement aired on a major Lebanese television network and subsequently received more than 120,000 views on Facebook.

During the 17 October Revolution in 2019, the slogan “Fag is not an insult” (“لوطي مش مسبة”) emerged as a response to the use of homophobic language as a political insult. The slogan challenged the notion that being gay was shameful and was described by LGBTQ activists as an important form of public awareness during the protests.

In September 2023, MTV Lebanon broadcast a pro-LGBTQ public service announcement titled “Love Is Not a Crime” (الحب مش جريمة), calling for the repeal of Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code. The advertisement depicted two men holding hands in an elevator after an armed man left, contrasting violence with consensual same-sex love. It concluded with a message supporting the repeal of Article 534 and was accompanied by a statement citing Pope Francis's declaration that homosexuality is not a crime.

Music

Haig Papazian of Mashrou' Leila at the Rudolstadt Festival in Germany.

Music has been an important medium for LGBTQ visibility and expression in Lebanon.

LGBTQ representation also appeared in mainstream Lebanese music videos. Nancy Ajram's music videos directed by Nadine Labaki were among the early examples of Lebanese popular music videos to feature LGBTQ characters. The 2003 video for "Yay! Sehr Oyouno" features a gay male character, while the 2004 video for "Lawn Ouyounak" continues the character's storyline. The Lebanese LGBTQ publication Bekhsoos identified the character in "Yay! Sehr Oyouno" as one of the earliest gay characters to appear in a Lebanese music video, while noting that his portrayal relied on stereotypical characteristics.

Yehya Saade was a Lebanese music-video director whose work frequently challenged conventional representations of gender and sexuality in Arab popular culture. Among his notable works was Shams's "Tatah" (2008), which featured a drag queen portraying a divorce lawyer. His video for Nicole Saba's "Ana Tabee Keda" (2007) likewise used gender-nonconforming and socially marginalized characters in a nightclub setting and was interpreted as a critique of social conformity and the policing of individual expression. Saade's work contributed to the representation of gender nonconformity in mainstream Lebanese and Arab music videos during the 2000s.

The alternative-rock band Mashrou' Leila, formed in Beirut in 2008, became particularly prominent for addressing homosexuality, gender and sexuality in its music, with openly gay singer and songwriter Hamed Sinno becoming one of the most visible LGBTQ figures in Arab popular culture. The band's songs, including "Shim el-Yasmine", explicitly addressed same-sex relationships and the social pressure to conform to heterosexual marriage. Their work also generated significant political and religious opposition, most notably the cancellation of a planned 2019 concert at the Byblos International Festival following a campaign accusing the band of promoting homosexuality and blasphemy.

Nightlife and social spaces

A rainbow flag flying in a street in Mar Mikhaël, Beirut in 2017

Beirut does not have a formally designated gay neighborhood, although LGBTQ+ social and cultural spaces are dispersed throughout the city. Beirut has had a visible LGBTQ nightlife scene since at least the 1990s, consisting of nightclubs, bars, cafés and other social spaces where LGBTQ people could meet. The development of commercial queer spaces accelerated during the 2000s, particularly in areas such as Hamra, Gemmayzeh, Mar Mikhael and Badaro. Academic research has characterized Beirut's queer nightlife as a network of explicitly LGBTQ venues and more broadly queer-friendly establishments rather than as a distinct gay neighborhood.

Among the earliest prominent venues was Acid, an openly gay nightclub in Beirut that became an important meeting place for the city's gay community. By the mid-2000s, the city's queer nightlife included Acid and X-OM, while mixed venues such as B 018, Basement and Vogue also attracted LGBTQ customers. These commercial spaces helped provide the social environment in which the emerging LGBTQ movement developed, including the early membership and activities of Helem.

By 2007, Beirut's gay nightlife had become sufficiently visible to attract both local residents and visitors from other parts of the Eastern Mediterranean. The Los Angeles Times described several gay and gay-friendly clubs operating in the city and identified Acid as an openly gay nightclub in east Beirut.

During the 2010s, Bardo in Hamra became one of the best-known venues associated with Beirut's LGBTQ scene. The Guardian described the bar in 2018 as the “epicentre” of the city's gay scene. Bardo also hosted drag events, including the weekly Powerpuff Queens party, linking Beirut's developing drag culture with its nightlife.

Nightlife also became part of the public cultural program surrounding Beirut Pride. During the inaugural Pride week in 2017, eighteen bars in Mar Mikhael displayed rainbow flags, and the program included a drag show and celebratory party.

Television

Pamela El-Kik, star of Ajyal

LGBTQ people and issues have appeared on Lebanese television since at least the 1990s, although their representation has frequently been shaped by social taboos and stereotypes. In April 1996, the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International's talk show El Shāṭir Yiḥkī (“Let the Brave Speak Out”) featured an episode titled "The Many Types of Sex" devoted to homosexuality, bringing two masked men into a televised discussion with psychiatrists, scientists, legal experts, religious figures and members of the public. Subsequent Lebanese television programs increasingly addressed homosexuality through social talk shows, comedy sketches and fictional drama.

During the 2000s and 2010s, fictional LGBTQ characters became increasingly visible in Lebanese television dramas and comedy programs. However, academic research has found that many portrayals relied on stereotypes, particularly the depiction of gay men as hypersexual, flamboyant and excessively feminine, such as in the comedy program Mafi Metlo, broadcast by MTV (Lebanon), that featured the recurring sketch Majdi w Wajdi, in which two gay men were portrayed with exaggerated feminine characteristics and hypersexual behavior.

Lebanese television dramas have also incorporated same-sex relationships and characters into their storylines. In 2012, As-Safir newspaper identified Ajyal, Ghalta Omri and Bila Zikra as Lebanese dramas that had addressed homosexuality. In Ajyal, actress Carla Boutros portrayed a woman who develops an attraction toward a female neighbor, played by Pamela Al-Kik.

Social talk shows have provided another important platform for discussing homosexuality. Research examining programs broadcast on LBCI, MTV and Al Jadeed found that homosexuality was among the recurring controversial subjects addressed by Lebanese social talk shows, with producers often treating the subject as a means of attracting viewers and increasing ratings.

Theatre

Lebanese theatre has increasingly addressed LGBTQ identities, gender nonconformity and same-sex relationships, particularly through independent and experimental theatre. One of the most significant early examples was No Matter Where I Go (2014), written and directed by Raphaël Amahl Khouri. Based on interviews with queer Lebanese women, the documentary play explored how queer women and a non-binary person navigated public spaces in Beirut. Its initial performance at the American University of Beirut was held as a closed-door event because of concerns for the privacy and safety of its performers. The play was subsequently described by scholars and its creators as a landmark work of queer Arab theatre and was claimed as the first explicitly queer play staged in the Arab world.

Other Lebanese productions have addressed transgender identity and queer experience more directly. The Strange Adventures of Victoria (2018), written and directed by Gerard Avidissian and staged at Metro El Madina, portrayed the life of a transgender woman in Lebanon during the 1970s and the Lebanese Civil War. The production used satire and comedy to explore discrimination and the difficulties experienced by transgender people.

In 2020, Lebanese writer and actress Dima Mikhayel Matta premiered This Is Not a Memorized Script, This Is a Well-Rehearsed Story, an autobiographical solo performance examining her queer identity, relationships and experiences in Beirut. The play subsequently toured internationally and was presented as part of the Criminal Queerness Festival in New York.

Queer themes have also appeared in the work of Lebanese theatre companies. Zoukak Theatre Company's In My Heart's Eye: The Love Project explored love, sexuality and gender through performances in which male and female roles were deliberately interchanged and same-sex attraction was portrayed within the context of Beirut.

Visual arts and photography

• One Night Only (2021) — an online group exhibition curated by Amar A. Zahr and Nathalie Ackawi for Beirut Art Residency and presented on the Artfizz platform. The exhibition brought together Lebanese artists Mohamad Abdouni, Omar Khouri, Magali Massoud, Lara Nasser, and Lara Tabet, whose works explored sexuality, intimacy, the body, fetishism and desire. Lara Tabet's contribution drew on photographs made in a Beirut gay cruising area, while Abdouni's work addressed queer Arab culture, fashion and fetishism.

• Treat Me Like Your Mother: Trans* Histories From Beirut's Forgotten Past — a photographic project by Lebanese artist and photographer Mohamad Abdouni, presented as an exhibition at the Mina Image Center in Beirut in 2022. The project documented the lives and memories of ten Lebanese trans* women, using interviews, studio portraits and personal and archival photographs to record their experiences and the history of Beirut's trans* community, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s. The project was produced with the support of Helem and the Arab Image Foundation, and the personal photographs contributed by the women are held by the Arab Image Foundation as an archival collection.

• Une lutte, un espoir, un amour (A Struggle, a Hope, a Love) — an LGBTQ-themed photography exhibition held at Station Beirut during Pride Month in June 2023. The exhibition presented approximately twenty photographs by photographer Robin Hammond, depicting LGBTQ people from around the world, with each portrait accompanied by information about the subject's personal story. Originally scheduled to close on 4 June, the exhibition was extended to 18 June following a positive public response.

Queer themes in the work of Akram Zaatari

Akram Zaatari is a Lebanese contemporary artist whose photography, films and video installations have frequently explored sexuality, desire and intimacy alongside themes of memory, war and Lebanese social history. Several of his works directly address male sexuality and same-sex intimacy. His video How I Love You (2001) explores the sexual and emotional lives of gay men in Lebanon, featuring a couple and three other men discussing sexuality, relationships, their bodies and love. In Red Chewing Gum (Al-ilka al-hamra, 2000), Zaatari depicts a sensual encounter involving three young men in Beirut; the work has been analyzed by scholars as a representation of non-heteronormative desire and same-sex intimacy. His 2010 video Tomorrow Everything Will Be Alright similarly centers on two men separated for ten years who express their desire to meet again, exploring themes of longing, reunion and love.

Education

Discrimination and bullying in education

LGBTQ students in Lebanon have faced discrimination and bullying in educational institutions, with transgender students particularly affected. Lebanese law does not provide comprehensive protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics. A 2019 report by Human Rights Watch documented discrimination against transgender women in Lebanese schools and universities. Of the 24 Lebanese transgender women interviewed for the report, 20 had been unable to complete their education, with bullying, discrimination and family rejection identified as significant factors. One 18-year-old transgender woman reported being forced to leave a vocational institute after its principal objected to her appearance, while another said she had discontinued university because of bullying from students and teachers.

Student organizations

Despite these difficulties, some Lebanese universities have provided spaces for discussion of gender and sexuality and for LGBTQ student activism.

The American University of Beirut (AUB) has been an important site for LGBTQ-related education and student activism in Lebanon. The university's Gender and Sexuality Club was established in 2015 and has worked to raise awareness about gender and sexual orientation, combat discrimination and provide a safe space for LGBTQ students. The Gender and Sexuality Club was established at AUB in 2015 and became an important space for LGBTQ student activism, providing an informal safe haven for LGBTQ students and promoting discussion and awareness around gender and sexuality. The Gender and Sexuality Club was established at AUB in 2015 and became an important space for LGBTQ student activism, providing an informal safe haven for LGBTQ students and promoting discussion and awareness around gender and sexuality. AUB's Office of Student Affairs describes the club as providing a platform for educational discourse and socialization and promoting tolerance and inclusivity of the queer community and its allies. The club has organized educational activities on sexual health and LGBTQ issues, including a 2017 presentation by the Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health on sexually transmitted infections and sexual-health myths. AUB has also hosted broader academic discussions of sexuality, including a 2017 panel entitled Sexual Rights are Human Rights: What About Sexual Pleasure?, which brought together health professionals, activists and students. LGBTQ activism at AUB has also encountered opposition from religious and political actors. In October 2018, a Halloween-themed event organized by the Gender and Sexuality Club was cancelled after pressure from Sunni religious circles, which accused the organizers of threatening morality, society and religion. The Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health subsequently issued a position statement in support of the club and described the cancelled event as an attempt to suppress a safe space for a marginalized community. AUB has also developed institutional mechanisms addressing discrimination.

At Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ), students established a Gender and Sexuality Club in 2020. The university described it as the first such club at USJ, with the stated aims of educating students and the public about gender and sexuality, encouraging discussion and expression of sexual and gender identities, and providing a safe space for students.Its activities included seminars, campaigns, workshops, trivia events and collaborations with other student organizations.

Lebanese American University (LAU) has also hosted Gender and Sexuality Clubs. Its official student-club directory lists clubs on both its Beirut and Byblos campuses. The clubs' activities include raising awareness about gender and sexuality, sexual health, consent and sexual harassment, and promoting understanding of the diversity of sexuality and gender. A former LAU student who founded and headed the Gender and Sexuality Club reported that the organization had 140 members and conducted awareness campaigns concerning gender and sexual diversity and inclusivity.

Such activities have occasionally encountered opposition from religious and political actors, reflecting the broader tensions surrounding LGBTQ visibility in Lebanon. Human Rights Watch has documented government and societal restrictions on LGBTQ-related conferences and gatherings, including the disruption of LGBTQ events and conferences in Beirut.

LGBTQ inclusion in Lebanese universities

Most universities in Lebanon have adopted policies and institutional mechanisms addressing discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression:

• Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (ALBA)

ALBA, part of the University of Balamand, has been an important institution in Lebanon's contemporary artistic environment and has provided a setting in which questions of gender, sexuality and queer identity have been explored through visual art and filmmaking. ALBA's School of Visual Arts describes itself as an agora open to debate and criticism and as a laboratory for artistic experimentation, while its programs incorporate contemporary and critical approaches to artistic practice. ALBA has also been associated with artists whose work addresses LGBTQ and queer themes. Lebanese filmmaker Malak Mroueh, who graduated from ALBA in 2018, has directed films addressing women's sexuality, queer bodies and violence. Lebanese artist Omar Mismar, whose work explicitly explores gay male sexuality and queer identity, has also taught at ALBA as well as the American University of Beirut. In an interview about Arab queer art, Mismar described Lebanon as providing some space for openly gay artists and creators while emphasizing that such freedom remained uncertain because of the country's legal and social environment. ALBA's significance to LGBTQ representation in Lebanese education is therefore primarily associated with its role as an arts and filmmaking institution in which queer artists and themes have been able to develop, rather than with a formally established LGBTQ student organization or dedicated institutional LGBTQ program.

• American University of Beirut (AUB)

AUB has developed institutional policies addressing discrimination and discriminatory harassment that explicitly extend to sexual orientation. AUB's Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX states that the university is committed to equal opportunity in admission, education and employment and does not tolerate discrimination or discriminatory harassment within the university community. AUB has explicitly identified sexual orientation among the characteristics protected by its institutional policies. In 2018, AUB president Fadlo R. Khuri stated that the university's Equity and Title IX Office was responsible for protecting members of the community against discriminatory behavior based on characteristics including sexual orientation, and specifically referred to the intimidation experienced by members of the LGBTQ community. AUB's institutional documentation has likewise described its policies as protecting members of the university community from adverse actions based on characteristics including gender, gender identity and sexual orientation.

• Beirut Arab University (BAU)

BAU has adopted institutional policies addressing equality, diversity and discrimination, including protections relating to "sexual orientation." Its Equality and Diversity Policy states that members of the university community should not be disadvantaged on the basis of, among other characteristics, gender reassignment, sex or sexual orientation. The policy further states that the university seeks to create an inclusive and harmonious working, learning and social environment and promotes equality and diversity among students and staff. BAU's Admissions and Employment Non-Discrimination Policy explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of "sexual orientation" and applies to both employment and student admissions, as well as campus programs, services and activities. The policy states that the university is committed to equal employment and admission opportunities and provides procedures for reporting alleged discrimination.

• Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK)

USEK, a Lebanese Catholic university, has developed institutional policies addressing diversity, inclusion and discrimination. Its Diversity and Inclusion framework states that the university is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community and promoting equal opportunity in access to education and employment. USEK's Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion statement prohibits discrimination on grounds including race, color, religion, gender, age, national or ethnic origin, family status, marital status, and physical or mental disability. The university's Counseling and Accessibility Office likewise describes its role as fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment and promoting inclusion and diversity in student support. USEK's current policies explicitly identify "sexual orientation" as a protected characteristic. Its Student Handbook states that discrimination based on protected characteristics, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion and disability, is strictly prohibited. The policy forms part of USEK's broader framework on non-discrimination, sexual harassment and misconduct, and diversity and inclusion. The same provision was already present in the university's 2023 Student Handbook, indicating that the explicit reference to sexual orientation predates the current edition.

• Islamic University of Lebanon (IUL)

IUL has adopted institutional policies explicitly prohibiting discrimination on the basis of "sexual orientation." According to the university's published non-discrimination policy, discrimination based on sexual orientation is prohibited in admissions, employment, and access to university activities and programs. The university states that students and staff should be treated equally regardless of gender, sexual preference, economic or social status, religion, or national origin. IUL also states that its regulations implementing gender-equality policies prohibit unequal treatment on the basis of gender or sexual preference in the hiring of employees, recruitment of students, and conditions of admission. Its Code of Ethics similarly states that students have a right to equal treatment without distinction based on, among other characteristics, sexual preference. The university has also published a policy explicitly addressing discrimination against transgender people. It states that IUL does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression and prohibits discriminatory harassment against individuals on these grounds.

• Lebanese American University (LAU)

LAU has adopted explicit institutional protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation. Its Discrimination, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Prevention Policy states that LAU does not permit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, among other characteristics, and applies to all faculty, staff and students. The policy covers discrimination occurring in connection with university roles, responsibilities, academic activities and student life, and establishes procedures for reporting and investigating alleged violations. LAU's policy defines discrimination as less favorable treatment based on characteristics including sexual orientation and explicitly states that such discrimination is prohibited. It also prohibits retaliation against individuals who report discrimination or participate in an investigation.

• Notre Dame University–Louaize (NDU)

NDU, a Lebanese Catholic university, has adopted an institutional policy explicitly prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Its Code of Ethics contains a Non-Discrimination Policy applicable to all members of the university community and states that discrimination is not tolerated on the basis of gender, race, religion, national or ethnic identity, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, or political affiliation. NDU identifies itself as a Catholic institution inspired by the tradition of the Maronite Church, while stating that its religious affiliation does not impose sectarian obligations on faculty members, staff or students and that the university promotes freedom of thought and expression. The university has also hosted academic initiatives addressing gender and citizenship. In 2015, NDU's Faculty of Law and Political Science participated in the launch of the Gender-Citizenship Nexus, in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, the Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship at the American University of Beirut, and other organizations. NDU therefore provides an example of a Lebanese Catholic university that has formally incorporated sexual orientation into its institutional non-discrimination policy, while also maintaining academic initiatives concerning gender and social inclusion.

• Université Saint-Joseph (USJ)

USJ has provided a documented institutional space for discussion of gender and sexuality. The university adopted a formal Non-Discrimination Policy, approved by its University Board in October 2024. The policy defines discrimination to include less favorable treatment based on, among other grounds, "gender identity and gender expression," and applies to students, faculty and staff. It establishes procedures for reporting and investigating alleged discrimination and states that the university seeks to maintain an environment free from discrimination. USJ's 2024 Equity, Diversity and Gender Equality Action Plan further states that the university is committed to equity, diversity and gender equality in education, employment and research, and seeks to create an environment in which members of the university community can experience belonging and equitable opportunities.

Public opinion

Public opinion toward LGBTQ people and their rights in Lebanon has been diverse, with greater acceptance generally associated with more secular segments of society, while opposition from influential religious institutions and the political actors aligned with them has often exerted significant influence over public debate and policy.

Polling and surveys

In May 2015, PlanetRomeo, an LGBT social network, published its first Gay Happiness Index (GHI). Gay men from over 120 countries were asked about how they feel about society's view on homosexuality, how do they experience the way they are treated by other people and how satisfied are they with their lives. Lebanon was ranked 99th with a GHI score of 33.

According to a 2017 World Values Survey, 48% said they would not accept a homosexual neighbour, while 52% of Lebanese respondents said they would not mind if they had a homosexual neighbour, making Lebanon the highest-ranking Arab country surveyed and the second-highest-ranking country with a significant Muslim population after Pakistan.

A peer-reviewed cross-sectional study conducted in Lebanon between March and July 2017 examined attitudes toward gay and lesbian people among 400 participants aged 15 to 80. The study found that 32.3% of participants exhibited severe homophobic attitudes. At the same time, several factors were significantly associated with lower levels of homophobia: respondents who knew someone who was gay, had a university education, or reported a higher monthly income had significantly lower overall homophobia scores. The authors suggested that identifying such factors could help policymakers develop evidence-based approaches to reducing discriminatory attitudes toward LGBT people.

The World Values Survey provides evidence of a more diverse range of attitudes toward homosexuality in Lebanon. In its 2018 Lebanese survey, 48.2% of respondents said that homosexuality was “never justifiable,” while the remainder assigned varying degrees of justification to homosexuality on a scale from 1 to 10; approximately one-fifth of respondents selected the midpoint or higher, indicating that a significant minority expressed at least some degree of acceptance.

The 2019 Pew Research Center survey provides evidence that religiosity was associated with attitudes toward homosexuality in Lebanon. Among Lebanese respondents who considered religion very important in their lives, 10% said that homosexuality should be accepted by society, compared with 19% among those who considered religion less important; the nine-percentage-point difference was statistically significant. Overall acceptance remained relatively low, with 13% of Lebanese respondents saying that homosexuality should be accepted by society in 2019, compared with 18% in 2013 and 21% in 2002. These findings suggest that lower levels of religiosity were associated with greater acceptance of homosexuality, although they do not establish that secularism itself was the cause of these attitudes.

According to a 2019 survey conducted by the Arab Barometer, found that 6% who answered the survey accepted homosexuality. Another 2019 survey found that 32% of Lebanese between 15 and 80 years had severe homophobic attitudes, with more tolerance correlated with knowing someone gay, university education, high monthly income, and higher problem-focused engagement.

A 2022–2023 survey conducted by Helem among 250 members of Lebanon's LGBTQIA+ community found that 65% of respondents said they would support political candidates who included LGBTQIA+ rights in their platforms, indicating substantial political engagement and support for LGBTQ rights within the country's LGBTQ community.

Public figures and cultural support

• Maya Diab — Lebanese singer and television personality who has repeatedly expressed support for LGBTQ people. In 2016, she performed at a Beirut nightclub known for its LGBTQ clientele, generating controversy and public discussion about LGBTQ visibility in Lebanon. In 2017, the LGBTQ organization Proud Lebanon awarded her its “Human” award in recognition of her public statements supporting the LGBTQ community. In June 2022, Diab again publicly expressed her support for LGBTQ people, stating that she had taught her daughter to accept people regardless of their sexual orientation.
• Elissa — Lebanese singer who has publicly expressed support for gay people and respect for their freedom. In 2014, she stated through social media that she supported homosexuality and people's freedom of choice. Her position was reported by Index on Censorship in an article examining the growing visibility of LGBTQ people and their supporters in Lebanon.
• Carole Samaha — Lebanese singer and actress who has publicly expressed support for LGBTQ rights. In February 2017, she praised the ruling of Lebanese judge Rabih Maalouf, who had held that homosexuality was a natural right rather than a criminal offense, and stated that the ruling was consistent with her personal belief that gay people should have freedom in their private lives.
• Fouad Yammine — Lebanese actor, comedian and television presenter who has spoken in support of gay people's rights. Yammine played a gay character in the Lebanese production of Perfect Strangers, contributing to the representation of homosexuality in Lebanese popular culture.
• Tony Khalife — Lebanese television presenter who has publicly discussed acceptance of homosexuality within his family. In 2016, while discussing whether he would accept a son who was gay, Khalife said that he would not reject or expel his son, although he subsequently stated that portions of his answer had been taken out of context in promotional material for the television program. His comments are therefore better characterized as an expression of familial acceptance than as explicit advocacy for LGBTQ rights.

Political & religious attitudes

See also: Politics of Lebanon

Because Lebanon's political system is organized along confessional lines, religion and politics are closely intertwined, with political representation and major state offices distributed among the country's recognized religious communities. As a result, religious institutions and sectarian political leaders have significant influence over public policy and political debate, including debates concerning LGBTQ rights.

Opposition and repression

On 29 May 2006, Al Arabiya ran a piece in which Beirut Municipality Council member Saad-Eddine Wazzan publicly called on Prime Minister Fouad Sanyoura and Minister of Interior Ahmad Fatfat to shut down Helem. On 16 June 2006, sermons in the mosques of Beirut condemned homosexuality and pointed to the fact that Beirut has a licensed LGBT organization called Helem. The sermons also called on the Government to provide explanations. The following day, Ahmed Fatfat denied charges by Islamist clerics that the Government had approved a gay rights group.

During the late 2010s and early 2020s, Lebanon saw both growing political support for the decriminalization of homosexuality and increasing opposition from Hezbollah and other religious and political actors; however, following Hezbollah's weakened political position and the formation of the Aoun–Salam government in 2025, the political environment shifted toward greater emphasis on strengthening state institutions and civil liberties.

In 2017, LGBTQ activists organised Lebanon's firstBeirut Pride, but were forced to cancel due to terrorist threats from Islamic radicals. and in 2018, the event was once again banned after the main organizer was arrested by police officials, a move that was condemned by Human Rights Watch, which said: "The crackdown violates freedom of assembly and association and is a step backward in a country that has made progress toward respecting the rights of LGBT people."

In October 2018, a Halloween-themed queer mixer organized by the Gender and Sexuality Club at the American University of Beirut (AUB) was cancelled following pressure from Sunni religious authorities, including former Grand Mufti Mohammed Rashid Qabbani, who publicly called for the event to be stopped and for the organizers to be held accountable. The organizers stated that they cancelled the event to ensure the safety of participants and organizers.

During the period when Hezbollah exercised substantial political influence in Lebanon, its leadership contributed to a more restrictive environment for LGBT people and other civil liberties, particularly through anti-LGBT rhetoric and opposition to LGBT public gatherings and expression.

On 24 June 2022, during Pride Month, Bassam Mawlawi, who served as Caretaker Minister of Interior, in a government controlled by Hezbollah, ordered the Internal Security Forces to "immediately take the necessary measures to prevent any type of celebration, meeting or gathering" by the LGBTQ community, following pressure by religious authorities in the country, while declaring: "This phenomenon [homosexuality] is contrary to the habits and customs of our society." A few days later, the Lebanese Psychiatric Association released a statement stressing their position on homosexuality, stating: "as psychiatrists, we would like to clarify that homosexuality cannot be considered a disease that requires treatment". In August, the Legal Agenda and Helem argued before the Shura Council, the country's top administrative court, that Bassam Mawlawi's ban incited violence and hatred against marginalized groups and violated LGBTQ people's constitutional rights to equality, free expression, and free assembly. On 1 November, the Shura Council accepted the appeal and froze Bassam Mawlawi's decision.

In 2023, secretary-general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah publicly called for the death penalty for people engaging in same-sex relations, while a pro-Hezbollah research organization promoted proposals to strengthen the criminalization of homosexuality; these positions contributed to a broader political and religious backlash against efforts to repeal Article 534. Nasrallah]] declared a cultural war on the LGBT community in Lebanon, stating that homosexuality is exported to the Lebanese society from the United States and Europe, and called for capital punishment to be imposed on individuals found guilty of sodomy. He called this cultural war a "Christian-Islamic war for all the Lebanese", and called for the rejection of the word homosexuals, describing them as "abnormal" and "deviant." He said that "[Homosexuality] must be confronted [...] by all means and by seeking the help of specialists for treatment." This declaration of war was seen by Widad Jarbouh, a researcher and journalist at the Samir Kassir Foundation, as "politicians escaping from their responsibilities for the state of collapse that the country is witnessing at many levels, by targeting marginalized groups, including members of the LGBT community," referring to the ongoing severe Lebanese economic crisis.

In 23 August 2023, a Beirut drag show faced disruption by conservative Christians' homophobic chants. Amnesty International urged government protection for all.

Hassan Nasrallah was killed on September 27, 2024, and combined with Hezbollah's military weakening, ending the party's fundamental hold on the political landscape in Lebanon. The weakening of Hezbollah's political position and the formation of the Aoun–Salam government created a potentially more favorable environment for institutional and civil-liberties reform, particularly as the new government sought to strengthen state authority and reduce the ability of political factions to exercise veto power; however, there is no evidence that the government has committed to repealing Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code.

Political support and advancement

In March 2018, the Kataeb Party, a predominately Christian party, expressed support for the decriminalization of homosexuality and the repeal of Article 534. Local LGBT activists welcomed the support, stating that this was the first time a political party in Parliament had endorsed their cause.

During the 2018 Lebanese general election, the civil-society coalition Kulluna Watani, which fielded 66 candidates across nine electoral districts, included the decriminalization of homosexuality among its electoral positions. The election also marked the first time that a significant number of Lebanese parliamentary candidates publicly endorsed LGBT rights, with nearly 100 candidates calling for the decriminalization of consensual same-sex relations.

On 1 September 2020, Martine Najem Kteily, the Vice President for Operations in the Free Patriotic Movement, a predominately Christian party, declared in an interview that the party endorses the abolishment of the Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code and supports the decriminalization of homosexuality.

Although religion and politics are closely intertwined in Lebanon's confessional political system, political parties and individual politicians do not always share the positions of the religious authorities associated with their respective sects. And with the shifting of political balance away from the period in which Hezbollah and its allies exercised substantial influence over state decision-making, particularly through the former “blocking third” mechanism that allowed them to veto government decisions, gives the community great hope and allows for religious leadership itself to be politically contested once again.

Politicians with documented pro-LGBTQ positions

Several Lebanese politicians and parliamentary candidates have publicly supported the decriminalization of consensual same-sex relations or the repeal of Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code. Although support for decriminalization has emerged across Lebanon's political spectrum, the most prominent politicians to have publicly endorsed repeal of Article 534 have largely been affiliated with Christian parties or reformist constituencies, while prominent Muslim political and religious figures have generally opposed decriminalization. While mainly Christian parties such as, the Kataeb Party, Lebanese Forces, Free Patriotic Movement, and National Liberal Party, have supported decriminalization, some independent and reformist politicians from other confessional backgrounds, such as Druze lawmaker Marc Daou have also been vocal, reflecting a growing cross-sectarian support.

• Paula Yacoubian — an independent MP and prominent supporter of LGBTQ rights. In July 2023, she was one of nine MPs who signed a proposed law to repeal Article 534, which criminalizes sexual relations deemed “contrary to nature.”
• Elias Hankache — a former Kataeb Party MP who signed the July 2023 proposal to repeal Article 534. He was one of nine parliamentarians who formally endorsed the measure.
• Nadim Gemayel — a Kataeb Party MP who has publicly expressed support for the decriminalization of homosexuality and has been identified among Lebanese politicians supporting LGBTQ rights.
• Sami Gemayel — leader of the Kataeb Party and former MP. In 2018, the Kataeb Party publicly supported the decriminalization of homosexuality and called for the repeal of Article 534, making it one of the first major Lebanese political parties to adopt such a position.
• Georges Okais — a Lebanese Forces MP who signed the July 2023 proposal to repeal Article 534.
• Nada Boustany — a Free Patriotic Movement MP who signed the July 2023 proposal to repeal Article 534.
• Camille Chamoun — a National Liberal Party MP who signed the July 2023 proposal to repeal Article 534.
• Marc Daou — an independent/reformist MP and one of the principal sponsors of the July 2023 proposal to repeal Article 534. He subsequently defended the proposal publicly amid criticism from government officials and religious figures.
• Najat Aoun Saliba — an independent/reformist MP who signed the July 2023 proposal to repeal Article 534.
• Cynthia Zarazir — an independent/reformist MP who signed the July 2023 proposal to repeal Article 534.
• Adib Abdel Massih — an MP associated with Michel Moawad who initially signed the July 2023 proposal to repeal Article 534. He subsequently withdrew his signature, stating that he had intended to encourage debate over the interpretation and wording of the article rather than necessarily endorse its outright repeal, and citing opposition from Christian and Muslim circles.

Summary table

Same-sex sexual activity	/ The law banning sexual acts that are "against nature" is in place still with up to a year in prison. However it is not well enforced and is not always prosecuted.
Equal age of consent
Anti-discrimination laws in employment
Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of goods and services
Anti-discrimination laws in all other areas (incl. indirect discrimination, hate speech)
Hate crime laws covering both sexual orientation and gender identity
Recognition of same-sex couples
Same-sex marriages
Stepchild adoption by same-sex couples
Joint adoption by same-sex couples
Gay, lesbian, and bisexual people allowed to serve in the military
Right to change legal gender	(Since 2016)
Third gender option
Access to IVF for lesbian couples
Commercial surrogacy for gay male couples
Homosexuality declassified as an illness	(since 2013)
MSMs allowed to donate blood
Gay criminal records expunged

Notable LGBTQ people from Lebanon

Main category: Lebanese LGBTQ people

High-profile Lebanese singer Mika came out as gay in 2012.

Hamed Sinno, lead singer of Mashrou´Leila

A number of Lebanese and Lebanese-born artists, musicians, actors, and writers have contributed to LGBTQ visibility and advocacy, both through their public identities and through works addressing sexuality and gender.

• Etel Adnan (1925–2021), poet, essayist, and visual artist
• Rabih Alameddine (born 1959), painter and writer
• Dayna Ash, Cultural and LGBT rights activist
• Georges Azzi (born 1979), activist and co-founder of Helem
• Mousbah Baalbaki, male belly dancer
• Simone Fattal (born 1942), artist
• Peter Macdissi (born 1974), actor and executive producer
• Sandra Melhem, LGBT rights activist
• Mika (born 1983), singer-songwriter
• Hamed Sinno (born 1988), singer
• Haaz Sleiman (born 1976), actor

See also

• Human rights in Lebanon
• LGBTQ rights in Asia
• LGBTQ rights in West Asia

External links

• Helem official website Archived 8 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine
• Healy, Pattrick (29 July 2009). "Beirut, the Provinctown of the Middle East". The New York Times.
• Steinvorth, Daniel (20 October 2006). "Love, Lust and Passion: Sex and Taboos in the Islamic World". Der Spiegel.