In Southern Lebanon, Israel’s war with Iran’s proxy Hezbollah has displaced more than a million residents and sent them fleeing north. Many move in with relatives or rent apartments in the capital, Beirut, while others have joined over a hundred thousand refugees in government shelters.
For many LGBTQ+ refugees, however, none of these are viable options. But one shelter is providing a safe space.
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Life in Lebanon was already difficult for gay and trans people, as it is across the conservative region more broadly.
While Beirut has, over history, been more welcoming than other places — it still maintains remnants of its reputation as the “Paris of the Middle East” between conflicts — the current war has cut tenuous ties many LGBTQ+ people had with relatives, and pushed them to the side as the government prioritizes family units in government housing.
But a rare shelter devoted to LGBTQ+ people in the capital is filling the gap.
Mohammed, who spoke with Reuters on condition that his last name not be used, was living with his brother near the port city of Sidon when Israeli air strikes hit their building.
He found refuge with other LGBTQ+ people in a shelter run by organizations Helem and Mosaic, where he now shares a room.
Two weeks after the war on Iran started, Mohammed was fleeing to Beirut.
“It was like a safe place. I even felt a sense of psychological relief when I arrived,” Mohammed said.
Mohammed said that at home in the south, his family had never accepted his sexuality and barred him from having visitors.
At the shelter, “I’m Mohammed, that’s it. Just the way I want to be, not the way others want me to be.”
It’s furnished with donated items, including bunk beds. Hot meals are delivered to the secret location by an LGBTQ+ volunteer. A hotline run by Mosaic receives about a hundred calls a day seeking advice and help, according to staffer Samar.
The social worker noted that similar crises often exacerbated gaps in Lebanon’s social protection systems and deepened discrimination against queer people. This war is no different.
Even in “normal times and without war, there are many risks to LGBTQ people, especially related to protection. What if there’s a war?” she asked.
A sense of solidarity and shared purpose has grown among the shelter refugees, said one temporary resident.
Mina, a trans refugee from Egypt, arrived in Beirut in January after fleeing Egypt, where he faced persecution as a transgender man. He says he feels safe among his fellow refugees.
“We try to treat each other in a cooperative way, we help each other, and we try to be friends,” he said. “If one of us needs help, the other stands by him.”
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