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Contents:
- GAY SNA, GAY SCENE BEIT, LEBANON - LGBTQIA+ TRAVEL FOM
- LEBANON'S GAY-IENDLY REPUTATN CHALLENGED BY AB
- THE DARKER SI FOR GAYS LEBANON
- DATG GAY SGL IN LEBANON, OH, UNED STAT
- GAY LIFE LEBANON: BOUNCE BACK BEIT
- 5 SAFT PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2019 (AND THE MOST DANGERO)
GAY SNA, GAY SCENE BEIT, LEBANON - LGBTQIA+ TRAVEL FOM
Recent events have challenged Lebanon's reputatn of tolerance towards lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) people, reports Sima Kotecha. * lebanon gay scene *
Through a haze of shisha smoke and somewhat stiflg sexual stigma, the Arab world unveils an unexpected realm of possibili for trepid gay travellers. If you n five the state-approved homophobia and are willg to act wh discretn while out and about, the Arab untri n reem themselv a thoand and one different ways, om the ancient centre of Petra to the glterg ephets of Bahra and to the serts beyond.
LEBANON'S GAY-IENDLY REPUTATN CHALLENGED BY AB
Meetville is a gay datg se In Lebanon, Oh, Uned Stat created to help brg gay sgl together for new relatnships. Jo today and go on a date tomorrow! * lebanon gay scene *
While by and large closeted kgdoms, the handful of gay clubs the progrsive cy of Beit n allow you to be your te self, while the luxury ternatnal hotels across the regn n ensure your privacy is rpected. Wh so much do see and do, Mt is bt seen by tour b, allowg you to hop off at untls mms, the Sultan’s Palace and the Mutrah Corniche wateront, before venturg further afield on day trips to the beach and turtle-filled lagoons for divg and leisure.One of the slightly more tolerant untri the regn, Oman is said to have once had s own gay sultan – Sultan Qaboos b Said al Said – although the state prs is quick to ny this as a pric mour!
Neverthels, the unofficial gossip is that the former sultan leads a lavish gay liftyle wh his palace, divorced om his wife and enjoyg the ocsnal English lover. In realy, the laws are rarely upheld except high-profile s, however, and gay Oman remas a perfectly safe place to vis.Oman | Photo: Katera KerdiPetra, particular, is the crowng glory of Jordan, protected wh sandstone cliffs and offerg an unrivalled llectn of monuments, cludg the fg Siq to the Treasury on an ethereal sert se of red rock and dun known as Wadi Rum2. Now you, avid explorer of gay Arab worlds, get to see the antiqui all their majty, movg om Roman Amphheatre to Csar stle wh a samplg of early Christian art along the way.
Jordan crimalised homophobia as early as 1951 and while there remas social stigma and ‘public moraly’ laws that hr LGBTQ+ eedoms, gay Jordan gas tractn thanks to s unrground gay muny (most active on Grdr!) and annual events such as the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
THE DARKER SI FOR GAYS LEBANON
Gay Bahra legalised homosexualy 1976 though this means ltle as an LGBTQ crackdown is still force targetg those that supposedly vlate “public cency”, as Jordan. Explore the natn’s extreme landsp, om sert plates to offshore archipelagos, stoppg at top spots such as Tabarka’s red ral shor, the UNESCO-regnised beach and valleys of Bizerte and Dougga and the cultural centre of Tunis.Tunisian society is viewed posively among the Arab gay muny for s LGBT progrs, as the base for anisatns such as ‘Mawjoud’ which mpaigns for LGBTQ mory rights. On paper, Tunisian law still stat that homosexualy is illegal, yet wh an openly-gay printial ndidate recently nng and ongog activism, ’s lookg more and more likely crimalisatn will e.
In a strange twist, one gay marriage beme legally regnised Tunisia and though that don’t say much for society as a whole, ’s a small w for gay Tunisia.Tunisia | Photo: Bedis Elacheche5.
Avoid the occurrenc and Lebanon will she, thanks to s fantastic beach rorts not far om the pal as well as s mounta vistas, ancient s and more, all urteoly attend by kdly Lebane lols.Though social stigma rgs te and the ft array of Arabian gays is likely to be found onle (hello Grdr, my old iend) gay Lebanon is perhaps one of the few Arab natns where a tentative gay scene tak shape real life. As well as hostg the regn’s largt gay club, POSH, where gay Arabs and ternatnals n fally dance together whout fear of persecutn, gay Beit also hosts annual queer events such as the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia and Beit Pri. Beit, Lebanon – In an enomilly troubled, nservative untry where homosexual behavur is taboo, a growg number of men are prostutg themselv to scrape together a livg.
DATG GAY SGL IN LEBANON, OH, UNED STAT
Hassan – who asked his real name not be ed – was forced to leave his untry after his fay found out about his homosexualy and threatened to kill him. The fact that one n anonymoly e gay social works such as Grdr or Manjam to meet clients a matter of mut – or look for potential on Beit’s gay bars, clubs or hammams – mak easier for the male prostut to stay safe and to keep their job a secret. Before the vlence and stabily Lebanon turned them away, wealthy gay men om the Gulf untri were pecially proment, ready to pay up to a few thoand dollars – sh, jewellery or signer cloth – for a night wh an rt.
The movie tells the story of an Algerian-French heterosexual young man begng a soclogy study of gay islamic homosexuali and disverg gay love wh a young French steward.
GAY LIFE LEBANON: BOUNCE BACK BEIT
A documentary by Peter Barbosa and Garrett Lenoir, I Exist giv a voice to gay and lbian Amerins om the Middle East, who often rema silent out of shame and fear. Filmed 12 untri and 9 languag, this documentary, directed by gay Mlim filmmaker Parvez Sharma, tells the lorful and varied stori of gay and lbian Mlims om all over the world.
In this portra that is multi-layered both terms of form and ntent, a gay man nonts the ghosts of his past and explor hidn longgs, unrequed love and tormentg feelgs of guilt.
After beg tranged om his fay for his homosexualy, we observe a young Arab man over four seasons and om far away as he navigat his solu – all the while attemptg to rennect wh his mother. A short documentary that tells the stori of Mashrou’ Leila, a Lebane rock band wh an outspoken gay sger, and Sarah Hegazy, an Egyptian activist.
5 SAFT PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2019 (AND THE MOST DANGERO)
It drew 400 people and ran for hours as dozens of young Beitis, cludg Hamed Sno, lead sger of the ternatnally succsful Mashrou Leila, stood up to tell their g-out Grand FactoryThe gay sger and dancer Moe Khansa is big news, too: at the Beit Art Fair an Iranian artist’s portra of him embracg another man sold for $8, 000. The cy's liberal meanour really do make like no other place a eply nservative Beit has another si to that highlights this difference - has an unrground gay scene that is private yet very much alive.
'Obscene scen'However, recent events are said to have challenged Lebanon's reputatn as beg relatively tolerant of lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) year, a Beit cema was raid by police and more than 30 people believed to be homosexuals were arrted.
Image ptn, The raid on the CePlaza cema Beit last year sparked public outcryThen June, psychiatrist Dr Nabil Khoury went on prime-time televisn and told the natn that homosexualy was "a disease that needs to be treated" months later, censors blocked a screeng at the Beit Internatnal Film Ftival of a French film that featur a gay love story.