This year too, our friends at the Beirut-based Arab feminist collective Nasawiya have decided to take their International Women’s Day (IWD) actions to the streets to interact with people and raise awareness about women’s issues.
After weeks of rehearsals, two groups performed over the weekend of March 6-7, 2010 “Invisible Theater” actions in several locations around [...]

Lebanon-based LGBT organization Helem launched on Monday, February 8, 2010 in Beirut a report on institutional discrimination against LGBTs in Lebanon, consisting of two studies. Funded by the Ford Foundation, the report concluded a series of thematic researches that address the effect of Article 534 on the political, civil, economical, social, and cultural rights of people of non-conforming gender identities and sexual orientations.

Lebanon-based LGBT organization Helem launched on Monday, December 21, 2009 in Beirut a groundbreaking report on the legal situation of homosexuals in Arab countries.

Funded by the Ford Foundation, the publication, titled “Homosexual Relations in Penal Codes: General Study on Laws in Arab Countries with Reports on Lebanon and Tunisia”, is part of a series of thematic researches that address the effect of Article 534 on the political, civil, economical, social [...]

Activists are strengthening gay-straight ties in Lebanon, starting with the youth.
Shaniqua and Anthony are two twenty-something gay activists who have created a Facebook group called Youth Gay-Straight Alliance in Lebanon (GSAIL). Its mission is simple: “Help and support the young individuals of the LGBTIQ community of Lebanon in ‘coming out’ to their friends and family, [...]

A while ago, I received this attachment entitled “Dictionary for Women’s Personal Ads”. It was supposed to be funny. It wasn’t, not because my sense of humor was impaired that day. But rather because the email was offensive, plain and simple.
To me, this Dictionary perpetuates a patriarchal or even matriarchal view that ridicules, delegitimizes and [...]

Advertisements have this unmissable talent of irritating the feminist in me. So when I received this message through an email marketing company, I decided to share my indignation and frustration, rather than let it eat me up until the next more infuriating one comes along. It feels so good to be an Adbuster.

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Beirut-based LGBTQ groups Meem and Helem are holding on Monday, November 9, 2009 at the American University of Beirut (AUB) a seminar on sexuality entitled “One Day One Struggle”.
The event takes place between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM at AUB’s West Hall.
Heading the panel are experts and activists who will address the challenges facing sexual [...]

Helem, the first public gay and lesbian organization in the Arab World, launched on Thursday, October 29, 2009, in Beirut, the awareness-raising booklet “Homosexualities and Bisexualities: Myths and Realities”. Helem’s George Azzi and psychologist and psychotherapist Dr. Maha Rabbath, who prepared the booklet, headed the panel. Following Mr. Azzi’s overview of Helem’s advocacy work against homophobia, on the one hand, and support of the LGBT community in Lebanon on the other, Dr. Rabbath introduced the booklet, a project three years in the making.

A few weeks ago, billboards advertising a fair dubbed In-Shape, an event covering health, beauty and fitness products and services, sprang up in Beirut.
Intrigued by the concept, I decided to check it out.
But the moment I stepped into the exhibition center, a sudden sense of unease gripped me.
As I quickly discovered, the ad was selling [...]

“Le Fil”, the first feature film by Tunisian filmmaker Mehdi ben Attia, has brought the spotlight back on homosexuality in Tunisia. The film tells the story of two gay men living in a chauvinistic male society where ancient traditions and set norms rule.
The main character, Malik, is a well-off man who affirms his sexual orientation [...]