This week and next, we’ll be looking back at a decade of LGBT activism in Lebanon, counting down our favorite moments and analyzing our greatest accomplishments. As we turn a new page of a new year, we must also acknowledge all the work it took to get us here. We start with the Top 10 Lebanese LGBT publications that came out over the past 10 years. I cannot but stand in awe of the amazing feat accomplished collectively by individuals and organizations working for LGBT justice in Lebanon. Here they are in chronological order:

أول مرة سمعت كلمت “خصو” كان من ٤ سنين يعني بال-٢٠٠٦. وقتها كان بعدني عارفة إنو أنا “خصني”.
جربت إسأل يللي “خصّهن”، إنو يا جماعة أنا “خصني” وانتو “خصكن”، بس كلنا  “خصنا” بشو بالتحديد؟ ما حدا كان يعرف.  ما في تعريف واضح، بشو معقول يكون “خصنا”. ما في شي محدد، بكل بساطة، بس “خصنا”.
وكلمة “خصو” أو [...]

We’ve compiled a selection of the coolest gay-themed stencils on the streets of Beirut. Which ones had the most impact and why? Vote for your favorite Top 3 and tell us why you like them in the comment box and we’ll tally the votes in the next issue.

I am a 16-year-old girl and a growing activist. It all began with a magic purple card that was given to me by an older friend. That’s when I started learning about activism. The day I got this card, I checked the website as soon as I got home, and there I found answers to [...]

- Red Chewing Gum, Akram Zaatari, fiction,  2000, 11’
A video letter that tells a story of separation between two men, set within the context of the changing Hamra, a formerly booming commercial center. The video looks at image-making in relationship to consumption and the possession of desired subjects. It examines issues of desire and power, [...]

بمناسبة الاحتفال بمرور عشر سنوات على انطلاق النشاط المثلي في لبنان، عملت “بخصوص” على تلخيص تجربة عشر سنوات من ارتياد الأماكن والحانات المثلية في لبنان. وكان ما يلي!
تكثر في الاونة الاخيرة الأماكن التي تستقبل المثليين المعروفين حبهم للسهر والتلاقي ، وهي عادة ما تكون حانات ليلية و مقاه صباحية، أي أنها أمكنة عامة شعبية [...]

During the last few years, many TV shows on Lebanese channels talked about homosexuality and the gay community in Lebanon. Some were positive and some were disastrous. The following is list of our worst 5 shows:
5- عندما يفتح الملف / Indama Youfta7 Al Malaff (Al Jaras Tv, July 2007): Although there are a lot of [...]

Counting down the Top 10 Lebanese gay hangouts of the past decade!
10- T-Marbouta- Hamra
Not your average gay hangout, but this café/pub gets honorable mention for being queer- and feminist-friendly since its opening in 2006. T-Marbouta is unique in the work space it offers for meetings, lectures, movie screenings, parties, and a library. A pleasant and [...]

Over the past few years, more public exposure has been given to gay characters in Lebanese music videos. Here are a few for our records:
5- Karina – Nafesh Rishak نافش ريشك (Natasha Nohra)
A young woman disses her conceited boyfriend and her close friends: another young woman and a flamboyantly gay man. The video depicts a [...]