Ghostly Ambiguity

Not a day goes by lately without gay matters making headlines on the global news channels.

The same can be said about the newsstreams coming out of Lebanon, except in our case it’s not about another country opening up marriage rights to same-sex couples or the world’s first official coming out of a major sport’s professional athlete.

On the contrary. As the world progresses steadily on same-sex issues, Lebanon keeps on regressing, one little step after the other.

The top gay-related headline these last few days is about the violent police raid of the Ghost Bar nightclub (the little brother of belated Acid nightclub) that took place last week.

The short-term arrests of 3 people and the humiliating treatments that followed have spurred all kinds of reactions in the media – a mixed bag nicely covered in G-Azzi’s post “With or Against Us”.

Photo taken from L'orient le Jour's website

But as gay rights defenders counter-attack, and as the issue spills over into the broader gay-friendly and human rights community, it does seem that the officials involved such as Dekwaneh Mayor Antoine Chakhtoura  and minister of interior Marwan Charbel are not getting away without virulent criticism on their homophobic attitude.

One of these media reactions I find particularly interesting: Murr TV. Why so, because (it might just be a rumor but) word has it that its presenter Joe Maalouf JUST GOT FIRED from MTV. 

The irony being that, for once, Maalouf had taken in his latest show “Enta Horr” a relatively moderated, less homophobic stance on the Ghost intervention than he had in the past - a new episode well covered here by the folks at Blog Baladi.

This time again, in what is probably a perfect reflection of the society's reaction in general, MTV has just blown away every possible record of ambiguity. 

A humoristic picture that's been circulating. But what if
it's true the guy just got fired?

Or, perhaps one could argue it's actually the exact contrary of ambiguity: 

That by firing Joe Maalouf, MTV management has decided to get rid of any left ambiguity (remember the “counter-accusations” of Joe Maalouf being gay) on where it stands on gay matters. 

I just wish we, as a people, would get even the slightest opportunity to express ourselves on the Big Gay Question through a national vote or something. 

I know the results would probably be bitter to swallow, but nevertheless sweeter than all this media and political nonsense we're  having to take in.

Discrimination v/s Dignity: 0-1

Nothing beats the satisfaction of winning over illegal practices through successful legal action; the pride of fighting humiliation with dignity; the relief of countersriking discrimination with an earned human right.

The sad episode of Cinema Plaza finally allowed just that. By triggering a host of indignation and anger in the civil, legal and medical communities, it accelerated the efforts started two months ago following another scandal from the "morality police".

The campaign that started it (below) and the body
that made it happen (above): a perfect combination!

As of Tuesday, August 7, 2012, the ANAL TEST has become ILLEGAL in LEBANON. This “Examination of Shame” ordered by the torturers of Hbeich and conducted by its corrupt medical examiners can now be subjected to legal proceedings on behalf of the detainees, and the physician can be banned from practicing medicine.

No more excuses can ever be made by anybody including the ministry of Justice, who blamed the delay in passing the Circular over to the concerned parties more than one month ago on an “administrative error”.

This is what keeps the sit-in organized by Helem this coming Saturday August 11 at 10 AM in front of the Ministry of Justice, still very relevant despite the win.

Lebanon’s LGBT and friends cannot but be thankful to the lawyers and doctors at Helem and at the Lebanese Order of Physicians (L’Ordre des Médecins du Liban, currently headed by Dr. Charaf Abou Charaf) for this victory.

Everyone’s now hoping for more to come. With election season coming up mid of next year there seems to be good momentum right now for the logical next step to this latest win: to abolish Article 534 once and for all. Let’s make it happen!

GiL’s Wake Up Call

GiL comes to GiB with a seven-post series retracing his experience being arrested in Lebanon under charges of homosexual activity, followed by charges of drug use.

Lucky he took only a week for it.

Only it takes more than a week to recover. GiL decided to write it down to help himself move on from this dreadful experience.

As a testament of GiB’s full support for GiL, for the next couple weeks GiB will be the outlet for his story. A tribune for his cause. A loudspeaker for his call.

A call to those like Diamond Walid who in her recent piece in the Guardian “Gay, straight, or just Lebanese?” pretend that “the anti-homosexuality law is no longer really applied” in Lebanon: sorry my jewel but… go check your sources.

But GiL’s wake up call is actually two-fold:

- One to the local GiB community saying: “Stay Careful and Hang in There”,

- and the other to the rest of the world out there: “Beirut Ain’t Gay Heaven on Earth, Dude”.

… Two messages that were well relayed by Helem at the IGLTA (gay travel) conference that was held in Beirut two weeks ago .

Now without further ado… the seven-post series by GiL.

- by GiB#2. Photo off the Net.

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.