Homosexuality in Lebanon

Lebanon

In the Middle East, Lebanon is one of the countries that are less restrictive for homosexual people because it has a small LGBT movement. According to a court ruling on January 28, 2014, homosexuality or homosexual acts can no longer be condemned under Article 534 of the Lebanese Criminal Code, as they are not "unnatural".

legality

Article 534 of the Lebanese Criminal Code prohibits "unnatural" sexual relations. This law has often been interpreted to prohibit homosexual intercourse. In contrast, Lebanese courts ruled in December 2009 and January 2014 that homosexual intercourse was not unnatural and therefore not illegal. In January 2017, a court in Lebanon ruled again that homosexual acts were not a criminal offense. According to the law, the minimum penalty is a medium fine . The maximum sentence is one year in prison . There have been no convictions based on Art. 534 for a number of years. The police still use criminal law to intimidate and register those affected.

Anti-discrimination laws

There are no anti-discrimination laws.

Recognition of same-sex civil partnerships

Homosexual couples are not recognized by the state.

Social situation

There is a small LGBT community in Beirut. There are also organizations such as Helem that campaign for the rights of homosexual people in Lebanon. In 2002, police broke into a woman's house after her mother alleged that her daughter stole some money and jewelry. Upon entering the house, the police found the woman who was having a sexual relationship with another woman and arrested her. Further arrests of gay couples or police raids on nightclubs in Beirut are also known.

So far, none of the Lebanese parties has endorsed the goals of the Lebanese human rights organization. In 2005 a group of Lebanese gay men fled to the Netherlands and applied for asylum . The group argues that homosexuality is a criminal offense in Lebanon. They would be treated like criminals when they returned to Lebanon. Canada has launched a Lebanese gay asylum campaign.

See also

• Laws on homosexuality
• Equality (homosexuals)

Web links

• Helem - Lebanese LGBT civil rights organization.
• gaymiddleeast.com - Information on homosexuality in the Middle East

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The Legal Agenda 14, February 2014 ( Memento of the original from April 13, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ^ Andrew Potts, Lebanese court throws out case against transgender woman accused of 'unnatural sex' in Gay Star News , March 5, 2014
3. ↑ Erin Kilbride: Lebanon Just Did a Whole Lot More Than Legalize Being Gay in Muftah , March 8, 2014
4. ↑ Queer.de: groundbreaking reasoning, judgment in Lebanon: Acting homosexuality is not a crime, but a basic right
5. ↑ Ulrike Putz: Beirut - Welcome to Arabia's gay party metropolis in Der Spiegel , May 9, 2010
6. ↑ Lebanese Daily Star: Two Lesbians Arrested for 'Unnatural' Sex ( February 8, 2008 memento in the Internet Archive ) on Sodomylaws.org, August 23, 2002
7. ↑ IRIN : Lebanon - Homosexuals still facing discrimination , December 7, 2005
8. ↑ Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.