GiB#2| BEYROUTH :: YOU ARE INCREDIBLE :: I LOVE YOU -- Ferry Corsten 11/21/09

Ferry Corsten set the Forum de Beyrouth on fire last Saturday, with a 5-hour set that took the crowd way high (where it likes to be). Whether it’s MixFM or NRJ that does a better job at producing live gigs in Lebanon is a debatable issue, but this time the tandem NRJ / Poliakov (the vodka newcomer) certainly did not go cheap on the setting, with amazing light effects, laser show, stage, and sound. The crowd was perhaps a bit younger than usual, but this still showed to be the kind of place where you'll see two guys (or girls) kissing and dancing like there's no tomorrow (and no one around), or giving each others a 4am pit stop massage (for the straight version of it). And the usual GiBs certainly did not miss the rendezvous, dancing close in tight groups of friends, bare-chested and sweaty as of 2AM - you really couldn’t miss them!

GiB#2 | It's Official: We Have Big Ones!

The results are in, kudos to all you guys for making this real!


Lebanon’s men are high up there, among the best endowed in the world. We score an average penis size, in erection, of 16.82 cm, higher than France, Italy, Brazil and Mexico (15 - 16 cm), Germany, Spain England and Israel (13-14 cm), not to mention Korea, India and China (9 - 10 cm). And guess what, among the surveyed countries, we’re only third to Ghana and Congo (17 cm)! But we already knew that…

So clearly immigration countries like the U.S., Canada and Australia (12 – 13 cm) should have brought in less Indians and Chinese, and more people from Africa – although I’m not too sure if this measure of manhood is a part at all of their immigration policy. Considering the high standard deviation of average penis size in these countries, it is obvious that these countries would fare much better without the recent waves of immigrants from Asia weighing in. For if you ever get to experience the WASPs in the U.S. (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, who descend from the British and Irish) and the Québecois in Canada (who descend from the French), I assure you that you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

I haven’t looked at the details of the study, but I believe it is based on data collected during patient visits to their urologist. But why would I want to check anyway, since we’re winners? In the case of Lebanon, the data is based on research conducted at the Rafik Hariri University Hospital. Now, if I ever learn that their sample data was from their own patients, and not representative of the total population, then I’m moving out to Bir Hasan. Anyhow, I hope these results won’t embarass any of our fellow GiB readers. And if this can be of any relief to you (or maybe even soothe you curiosity), last time I checked I made it just a tick above GiB average ;)

GiB#1 | blondie

One way, or another, I'm gonna get ya'!

Or so says Blondie. I for some reason don’t get anything anymore. It used to be simple: limited resources, few cruising spots, creepy Internet chat rooms and rare but eventual direct crushes that lead to new friendships. Otherwise, most of us lived happily (!) in their cocoons.

Now it’s all mixed up! Straight men on Manjam (I mean come on!), wannabe GiBs in Basement, bisexuals everywhere and themed parties where you inevitably bump into old acquaintances who just should not have been there.

Is it possible that we’re actually building a community? And that we are now starting to assume our place in society??

There’s a hell of a way ahead of us.. Beirut is no Soho, or Gayxample but hey, we have so many businesses that rely solely on GiBs and that’s always a great start. Beirut is becoming hetero-friendly lol. Yeah I wish! Seriously though, it’s either that we’re invading society or that we’ve drastically increased our cocoon space over the past few years, including more of each others. I like. But I still don’t get it.

GiB#2 | Beware of the Undertwenties

They come out at night. They’re ruthless and they’ve seen it all.

Party animals, they’ll take over the DJ gigs till 5am, dancing the night away until you’ve fallen so low that you wonder if the 6 halves of their (local) ecstasy pills might be a better option for you next time, if you haven’t retired yet from the scene, than the pill that your friend brought over from his recent trip to Amsterdam. The undertwenty always beats you.

Carefree groups of GiBs, who flock the street in front of Acid like this is San Francisco. They can claim they’ve owned their Friday and Saturday nights since their teens, making you mess up your math as you try to figure out how many years you’ve missed of raunchy boys-nights-out. No, it’s not that Acid was still a straight club ten years back when you were their age – you had Orange Mécanique. Just admit it, the undertwenty does a better job than you did.

They know what they (don’t) want, they’ve tried this before (a lot), and have nothing to learn (from you). Date one and you’re under the spell, because he gave you some (lots of teasing and maybe a one-time fcuk), and he awoke the big-brother in you. Enjoy the moment, but count to ten. At ten, you’re alone, and you’re down. Don’t expect any hand to pick you up, the undertwenty is gone. Just hope you didn’t fall too deep, that what you heard from him won’t take you straight into therapy, and try not to think of the naïve bliss you felt each time you took out your wallet. The undertwenty outlives you.

GiB#2 | And off we go

A blog?! That’s so passé…

But I’ve liked blogs ever since I heard the name, and loved them ever since I grasped the idea. I’ve been wanting to have my own, but instead I sat back looking at blogs open up by the dozens, then often die out. I hope this one is here to stay. For as long as we’re gay in Beirut (GiBs), we’ll have stories to tell the world. Stories for fellow gay guys to relate to, for other GiBs to picture, and for friends to comment on. And for you the daring gay traveler who’s curious, hearing all the hype about Beirut, because we think you deserve to know better if and when you step foot in this tiny country sitting between Paris and Teheran.

Like most other GiBs, we’re gay advocates in our own way. By growing up GiBs, by staying GiBs, by living as GiBs, we’re advocates for the bigger cause. Each one of us gay Lebanese is a survivor - if not to war, to emigration -, and a living proof of concept, that there is a life to live as a gay in this part of the world. It is no wonder then that the gay voice of the Middle East comes out of here, in Beirut (Tel Aviv put aside). A quick tribute to our LGBT advocacy groups – Helem, we respect you – and to our gay-friendly legislators – WE WANT ARTICLE 534 OUT – , special thanks to the security forces for your live-and-let-live attitude – you have other fish to fry – , and that will be it for the bragging about how great this place is. From this point on, we’ll put it as it is. Raw and real – just like we like our men.

On Asexuality | by Art Hake

Instead of speaking of homosexuality, bisexuality or whatever that concept stands for, I think we should focus a bit on a-sexuality.

Asexuals are everywhere. They infest our clubs, our streets and our close circles of friends. Well logic says an asexual is out of the game. I mean he’s got the tools; he just doesn't seem to use them at all with others. He's non-sexual, non-interactive on the libido level. Even his innuendos are covered-up. But still, out of all the boys around, why do I always fall for that same guy?

Is it because he “could” be straight and that challenge makes him more desirable? Or is it because he’s ignoring me and I just can’t accept it? And why must I always pick him when he’s at the peak of his identity crisis?

We are society’s products and ours does a really good job at fucking minds up.

Asexuals lack something: guidance? Self-esteem? A sense of priority? (that job can’t be worth so much booty!) They should be encouraged to dip in the water. Nothing lasts forever and better make use of whatever we got, as long as we still have it. I’m just tired of having to do the job again and again. Mind you, the results are not that good either. Despite the tremendous efforts (and patience) we put into creating a comfortable and tolerant environment for them, most asexuals remain where they are. Very few dare crossing the lines: the hetero side is scary. The homo one is terrifying. The predator lays low, building a mirage of guilt-free images, but the victim needs more time. And time is a luxury gay men on the hunt can’t seem to afford. Everybody loses. Well occasionally, the family grows by a few and more late-bloomers join the La-la-land sisterhood. I hope it was worth the waiting. I still got blue-balls!