LGBT rights in Syria

LGBT rights in the Syrian Arab Republic
Syria
Status	Illegal (Syrian Arab Republic)
Penalty	Up to 3 years in prison [1]
Gender identity	No
Military	No
Discrimination protections	None
Family rights
Recognition of relationships	No recognition of same-sex unions
Adoption	No

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the Syrian Arab Republic have limited legal rights. Article 520 of the penal code of 1949 prohibits "carnal relations against the order of nature", punishable with a prison sentence of up to three years. ^{[2] [3]}

Vigilante executions, beatings, and torture against LGBT people occur frequently in Syria, including attacks by the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. ^{[4] [1]}

Mahmoud Hassino, a gay Syrian activist and journalist who created the online magazine Mawaleh, notes that regardless of the outcome of the civil war, work needs to be done in the area of civil rights on behalf of all Syrians, not just the LGBT community. Miral Bioredda, a secular leader of the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, said "Personally I see homosexuality as a private matter. But Syrian society would say 'no way' if gays rose to claim their rights. Developing a civil society will take time." Nasradeen Ahme, a member of the Free Syrian Army which strives to topple the government of Bashar al-Assad, said "If I was in charge I would enforce tougher laws against homosexuals. If someone said homosexuals should be stoned to death as in Iran and Saudi Arabia, I would not object." ^[5]

LGBT history in Syria

See also: LGBT in the Middle East

2010: Political interference

In 2010, the Syrian police began a crackdown that led to the arrest of over 25 men. The men were charged with various crimes including homosexual acts, illegal drug use, encouraging homosexual behavior and organizing obscene parties. ^[6]

2011: Social movements and virtual organising

After 2011, the LGBT community in Syria started to demand rights more openly, and campaigns outside of Syria began to spread awareness about LGBT rights. These campaigns were influenced by the growing number of Syrian immigrants and refugees who found more opportunities to speak out.

Many LGBT Syrian refugees have participated in gay pride parades around the world. ^{[7] [8]}

2015: International concerns

In August 2015, the UN Security Council held a session on LGBT rights co-sponsored by the U.S. and Chile. The council heard testimony from refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq. In ISIS-held areas, the refugees reported increased violence against women and members of the LGBT community. They reported that ISIS had claimed to have executed at least 30 people for "sodomy". ^[9] This was the first time in its 70-year history that the UN Security Council had discussed LGBT concerns. ^[10]

2021: Guardians of Equality Movement

On 14 September 2021, Syrian LGBTQIA+ activists launched the Guardians of Equality Movement-(GEM), an organization that works to defend and protect the rights of the Syrian LGBTQIA+ community. ^[11]

LGBT life in Syria

Culture

In 1971, Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani wrote "The Evil Poem", in which he described a sexual relationship between two women. ^[12]

Before 2011, a gay tour was organized by a man named Bertho. It was the first and the only gay tour in the Middle East, with main destinations including Damascus and Aleppo. "And it was the best destination ever", he says. "We’d go on tours of the hammams in Aleppo, and in Damascus it was a paradise for gay people. We never had any problems, never ever". ^[13] The tour passed through Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Since the beginning of the civil war, the tour stopped its activities in Syria. ^[13]

Furthermore, areas of Damascus that were previously underground LGBT hubs, and were practically the only places in Syria where an underground LGBT scene could even exist, have been eradicated since the start of the civil war and most cultural pursuits have stopped. ^[14]

LGBT movies and series

On 19 October 2017, Mr. Gay Syria was released. Written and directed by Ayse Toprak, the movie follows two gay Syrian refugees who are trying to rebuild their lives. ^[15]

A Lesbian Tale, a short movie, was filmed in Syria. It was published by Maxim Diab on 16 January 2014. ^[16]

HIV/AIDS issues

The first reported cases of HIV infection were in 1987. ^[17]

In 2005, the Deputy Minister of Religious Endowments publicly stated that HIV/AIDS was divine punishment for people who engaged in fornication and homosexuality. That same year, the Health Ministry stated that only 369 people in Syria were infected with HIV and that the government offers such people "up-to-date medicines to combat this disease freely". ^[18] However, Non-governmental organizations estimate that there are actually at least five times as many, and the United Nations chastised the government for its ineffective prevention methods. ^{[19] [20]}

Beyond tolerating the work of some NGOs, the government has established voluntary clinics that can test for HIV/AIDS and distribute some educational pamphlets, but comprehensive public education, especially for LGBT people, does not exist. ^[21]

Instead, the government launched a limited HIV/AIDS educational program for youth in secondary schooling. ^[22] The country is considered to have one of the lowest prevalences of HIV infection in the Region, with less than 2 per 100,000 among the general population affected and less than 1% among the most at-risk populations in 2018. The total number of total reported HIV cases until the end of the third quarter of 2019 was 1013. ^[23]

Political support

As part of the Rights in Exile Programme, the International Refugee Rights Initiative has compiled a resource page for LGBTI citizens of the Syrian Arab Republic. ^[3]

Abdulrahman Akkad Story

In July 2017, a Syrian young man residing in Germany named Abdulrahman Akkad published a live video on Facebook, in which he announced his sexual orientation and that his family was pressuring him to marry against his will. ^{[24] [25]} Akkad's story was mentioned in the human rights session in the German Parliament in 2020 ^[26] by German philosopher David Berger. ^{[27] [28]}

One of you (2020)

"One of you", or in Arabic "واحد منكن" (pron: wahed menkon), is a social media movement that started on Facebook in 2020, then moved to Twitter for easier recognition. It launched around March in Syria, and later spread within the wider Arab community. ^[29] The campaign continued for a month afterwards, but the trend soon died due to other major events, primarily the COVID-19 pandemic.

It started with university students painting the LGBT flag colors on their fingers, with the hashtag #oneofyou on their hands. They then took pictures with a faculty building while raising their hands, and posted it from various accounts. Most people who started the trend used fake social media accounts to post the pictures, out of fear of being recognized.

Reactions varied, from people defending the trend, to others promising blood, to people who participated afterwards.^{[ citation needed ]}

No incidents happened while the trend was ongoing, no casualties, just online discussions. Some escalated into heated arguments, but nothing happened as the trend died.^{[ citation needed ]}

In the Diaspora

Syrian LGBTQ+ refugees, like refugees of other nationalities, often face discrimination and exclusion in their host countries based on factors such as race, language, skin color and religious background. ^[30]

Summary table

Right	Legal status
Same-sex sexual activity	Up to 3 years imprisonment [31] vigilante attacks, beatings, torture and vigilante executions by Syrian society, police, government agencies, rebel groups and Tahrir al-Sham [4] [1]
Equal age of consent
Anti-discrimination laws in employment only
Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of goods and services
Anti-discrimination laws in all other areas (incl. indirect discrimination, hate speech)
Same-sex marriage
Recognition of same-sex couples
Stepchild adoption by same-sex couples
Joint adoption by same-sex couples
LGBT people allowed to serve openly in the military	[32]
Right to change legal gender
Access to IVF for lesbians
Commercial surrogacy for gay male couples	(Not legal even for heterosexual couples) [33] [ failed verification ]
MSMs allowed to donate blood

Notable people

Notable LGBT figures of Syrian descent

• Antony Grey, English LGBT activist with Syrian roots on his maternal side
• Wentworth Miller, American actor with Syrian roots on his maternal side
• Simone Fattal, Syrian American poet
• Jwan Yosef, Swedish painter and former husband of Ricky Martin
• Raúl Gómez Jattin, Colombian poet of Syrian descent
• Danny Ramadan, novelist, public speaker, and activist
• David Adjmi, American playwright
• Abdulrahman Akkad, activist

See also

• LGBT portal
• Asia portal

• Category:Syrian LGBT rights activists
• Human rights in Syria
• LGBT rights in Asia
• LGBT in the Middle East
• Abdulrahman Akkad

References

1. Harkin, James (1 February 2016). "We Don't Have Rights, But We Are Alive: A gay soldier in Assad's army". Harper's Magazine . Archived from the original on 10 August 2022.
2. "Syrian Arabic Republic" (PDF). Equal Rights Trust. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
3. "Syrian Arab Republic LGBTI Resources | Rights in Exile Programme". refugeelegalaidinformation.org. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
4. "Al-Qa'ida Uncoupling: Jabhat al-Nusra's Rebranding as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. 22 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
5. Erlich, Reese. "Gays join the Syrian uprising". DW . Retrieved 7 March 2024.
6. Brocklebank, Christopher (23 June 2010). "Syrian authorities crack down on gay men". Pink News. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
7. Kassam, Ashifa (4 July 2016). "Syrian refugee marches beside Justin Trudeau in Canadian pride parade". The Guardian.
8. Brekke, Kira (6 September 2016). "After Years of Repression in Syria, This Gay Refugee Just Celebrated His First Pride Parade". Huff Post.
9. Westcott, Lucy (25 August 2015). "Gay Refugees Addresses U.N. Security Council in Historic Meeting on LGBT Rights". Newsweek.
10. "UN Security Council holds first meeting on LGBT rights". Al Jazeera. 24 August 2015.
11. "About us". GEM Organization. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
12. Rahman, A.W. (10 April 2018). "Fetishization for the Sake of Representation: Poetry and Cis-Power". My.Kali . Retrieved 7 March 2024.
13. Smith, Hannah Lucinda (24 July 2013). "Meet 'the First and Only Gay Tour Guide in the Arab Middle East'". Vice. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
14. al-Haj, Mustafa (15 December 2014). "LGBT community finds Damascus more open". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
15. "Mr Gay Syria – Crowdfunding teaser". 30 January 2017 – via YouTube.
16. "A Lesbian Tale | حكاية مثلية "Short Film" – YouTube" – via YouTube.
17. "Syrian Arab Republic" (PDF). unaids.org. 2004. p. 2. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
18. "369 infected with AIDS in Syria". Arabicnews.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
19. "Egypt and Syria Drop the Ball on HIV Prevention". gaymiddleeast.blogspot.com. 16 June 2006. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
20. "EGYPT-SYRIA: Governments criticised for approach against HIV/AIDS". Irinnews.org. 7 June 2006. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
21. Birke, Sarah (April 2009). "Upgrading HIV and AIDS facilities in Syria". United Nations. Archived from the original on 24 April 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
22. "Syrian youth receive information on HIV/AIDS" (PDF). asylumlaw.org. 13 June 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
23. "Concerted efforts to eradicate AIDS in the Syrian Arab Republic". World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
24. الحبّ انتصر!... شاب سوري مثليّ الجنس يُعلن تصالح والديه معه ['Love Wins!' Gay Syrian Man Announces His Father's Support]. Raseef22 (in Arabic). 27 July 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
25. مـجتـمع الـميم/عين.. مــيــم تصرخ أنا مثلــكــم وعــيــن تعـجـب من عنفكم!. فرانس 24 (in Arabic). 3 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
26. "Deutscher Bundestag – 14. Bericht der Bundesregierung über ihre Menschenrechtspolitik..." Deutscher Bundestag (in German). Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
27. PP-Redaktion (21 November 2019). "Abdulrahman Akkad: Er floh aus Syrien, kritisierte den Islam und wird nun in Deutschland zensiert". Philosophia Perennis (in German). Retrieved 29 September 2021.
28. Berger, David (1 July 2020). "Islamophob? Instagram löscht Profil von atheistischem, homosexuellen Islamkritiker". Philosophia Perennis (in German). Retrieved 29 September 2021.
29. "At home and abroad, LGBT Syrians fight to have their voices heard". Syria Direct. 11 October 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
30. Secker, Bradley (9 March 2020). "'Gayropa': challenges and hopes of Europe's LGBT+ refugees – in pictures". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
31. "Syria – GlobalGayz News Archive". archive.globalgayz.com.
32. "'The Queer Insurrection': Coalition forces fighting Isis in Syria form first LGBT unit". The Independent. 25 July 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
33. "Surrogacy law: regulated, unregulated". 13 June 2022.

Further reading

• Saleh, Fadi (2020). "Transgender as a Humanitarian Category". TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly. 7 (1): 37–55. doi:10.1215/23289252-7914500. S2CID   213302073.