Lebanon gay club

Everyone is welcome. Compared with other countries in the Middle East, such as Iran where homosexuality is punishable by death, Lebanon has a relatively thriving LGBT community. But life is not without its hazards. On Wednesday Hadi Damien, the organiser of Beirut Pride, the only event of its kind in the Arab world, announced the festival had been suspended after authorities interrogated him and threatened him with prosecution.

A roster of events that would have featured poetry readings, a storytelling night and a talk on sexual health had been cancelled, he said. For those still facing discrimination, obstruction, and even violence, Helem is a lifeline.

Gay Beirut

Two people riding on a motorbike stopped and punched me in the eye, stole my bag, money and my phone. In his bag he now carries a mobile phone that serves as a hour emergency hotline. But the work is not all about crises. Wael also runs makeup workshops. When they see themselves in the mirror, their eyes start shining and what they can see in the mirror, they feel this person looks much more like the way they see themselves.

Helem was set up as an underground movement nearly 20 years ago and, despite never having received official registration by the authorities, has clung to life. But on the contrary we just kept on working. But progress has not been straightforward. Gay Samhat, 31, joined four years ago, the organisation was almost moribund.

Her arrival coincided with a Lebanese security forces raid on a local bathhouse, the Hammam al-Agha, which resulted in the arrests of 36 people. Helem had lost its community centre, its offices, all of its funds. Such physical mistreatment appears now to have stopped. Today, at least 17 people are detained in Hbeish, mostly transgender people.

The organisation also provides more essential help. Aside from the study, club are places to sleep, a bathroom and a kitchen with basic appliances — a fridge, a gas stove and a washing machine. Nearly people visit Marsa each month — of whom two or lebanon on average test positive for HIV.

Photograph: Adib Chowdhury. This article is more than 7 years old. There are reasons to be cheerful Read more. View image in fullscreen. Reuse this content. Most viewed.