Good evening,

First of all, I would like to welcome you to Beirut, and hope you enjoy your stay here as a tourist in a foreign country.

I would like to begin with a very brief introduction about Helem. Helem was founded in Beirut in 2004 and is one of the first above-ground organizations that advocates for the equality rights of people who identify with a sexual orientation or gender identity that doesn’t conform with the norms and traditions of society.

On November 9, Many people from all over the world celebrate “One Day One Struggle”, a day announced by CSBR (Coalition for
Sexual and Bodily Rights) to promote sexual and bodily rights including sexual autonomy, privacy, pleasure, equity, sex education and health care.

All those who are part of CSBR, celebrate this day on their own way wherever they are. For this year in Lebanon, Nasawiya in partnership with Helem and Meem, will be launching a viral video campaign on November 9!

DOWNLOAD THE STUDY

Join us in launching 2 new studies on institutional discrimination based on sexual orientation in Lebanon
Tamam Mroue: "The Right of Gays and Lesbians to University"
Faisal Al-Kak: "Homophobia in Clinical Services: A Physician Survey"
Monday 8 February 2010 at 6:30 PM
Beirut Theater, Ein El Mreisseh

On 3/12/2009, and in a landmark decision, Judge Mounir Suleiman from the Batroun court district ruled that consensual homosexual relations are not against nature and thus cannot be prosecuted under article 534 of the Penal Code in Lebanon.

Download a copy of the decision (in Arabic)
Article in BEKHSOOS (ENGLISH)

On 21 December, Helem will launch a report on the legal situation of Homosexuals in the Arab world, with case studies about Lebanon and Tunis with the participation of the researchers: Dr. Wahid Farchihi (Professor of Law in Tunisian University) and Nizar Saghieh (Lawyer and independent legal researcher in Lebanon).

Place: Metropolis Cinema, Sofil Center, Beirut
Time: Monday, December 21, at 6:00 PM

(Download the study here)

Visitors to Lebanon talk about a gay culture but what most of them see is just gay consumerism

By Diamond Walid:
guardian.co.uk, Monday 31 August 2009 14.00 BST

Beirut has been labelled the Paris, sometimes the Switzerland, of the Middle East. According to one recent New York Times article, it is now the region's Provincetown (the Cape Cod resort favoured by gay visitors). This ever-changing city seems to have become a mirror where people project their own fantasies.

In an article in the New York Times on August 2, 2009, entitled "Beirut, Provincetown of the Middle East," Patrick Healy details his personal encounters and experiences during a trip to Beirut. In this travel-style article, Healy not only narrates his endeavors in what he baptized the "party-capital of the Middle East," but also makes conclusions that incensed gays and gay rights activists in Beirut.