Beirut Pride () is the annual non-profit

LGBTQIA+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group is ...

event and

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...

held in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

, the capital of

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. Established with the mission to advocate for the

decriminalization of homosexuality Decriminalization of homosexuality is the repeal of laws criminalizing same-sex acts between multiple men or multiple women. It has taken place in most of the world, except much of Africa and the Muslim world. History During the French Revolu ...

within Lebanon, the event serves as a platform for fostering visibility, acceptance, and equality for the

queer community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individua ...

in the region. Since its establishment in 2017, Beirut Pride has stood as the Arab world's pioneering and singular LGBTQIA+ pride event, marking the largest gathering within the LGBTQIA+ community in the Arab world. The inaugural event attracted 4,000 attendees, and the momentum continued into the 2018 edition, drawing 2,700 participants in its initial three days. However, authorities intervened, leading to the arrest of its founder, Hadi Damien. The subsequent day, the Beirut prosecutor intervened by suspending the planned activities and initiating criminal proceedings against Damien for orchestrating events deemed to "incite debauchery." Despite this setback, Beirut Pride persisted, with its third edition unfolding in September/October 2019. The fourth edition adapted to the evolving circumstances, transitioning to an online format in 2020. This shift was prompted by both

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

restrictions and the economic turmoil engulfing Beirut, necessitating participation in the online

Global Pride Global Pride was an online LGBT Pride event, which took place on June 27, 2020. Organized as a response to the international COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the cancellation of most traditional LGBTQ pride events due to social distancing restrictio ...

celebration.

History

The burgeoning global progress in the realm of LGBTQIA+ rights catalyzed Hadi Damien, then 28 years old, to initiate the groundwork for Beirut Pride in August 2016. Damien embarked on a collaborative journey by recognizing the necessity for a comprehensive communication platform spanning multiple days, languages, and engaging with the universal language of creativity.

Beirut Pride 2017

The inaugural edition of Beirut Pride unfolded from May 14 to 21, 2017, strategically aligning with the

International Day Against Homophobia The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) is list of minor secular observances#May, observed on 17 May and aims to coordinate international events that raising awareness, raise awareness of LGBTQ rights violati ...

. Additionally, legal seminars provided insights while the unveiling of three specially designed t-shirts by Bashar Assaf and Marwan Kaabour added a creative flair. The festivities extended into the nightlife of

Mar Mikhaël Mar Mikhaël (Arabic: مار ميخائيل, Lebanese pronunciation: مار مخايل) is a residential and commercial neighborhood (sector 75) in the district of Beirut, Lebanon. It is a fashionable area with cafes, restaurants, art galleries, ...

, where eighteen bars proudly displayed

rainbow flag A rainbow flag is a multicolored flag consisting of the colors of the rainbow. The designs differ, but many of the colors are based on the seven spectral colors of the visible light spectrum. History In the 18th century, American Revolutionary ...

s, culminating in a spirited drag show and celebratory party. Initially planned as a march on May 21, enthusiasm necessitated a relocation to a mountainside venue overlooking the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

. Notably, several embassies prominently displayed rainbow flags in solidarity with Beirut Pride. This edition faced challenged when NGOs Proud Lebanon and

Helem Helem (Arabic: حلم, Lebanese Arabic pronunciation: ; which means ‘dream’) is the first LGBTQIA+ rights non-governmental organization in the Arab world, founded in Beirut, Lebanon, in 2001. Its mission is to lead a non-violent struggle fo ...

encountered a boycott campaign initiated by certain organisations urging authorities to halt their respective events. Both organisations had organised full conference days featuring performances, discussions, and screenings. However, Proud Lebanon's hotel reservation was abruptly canceled, prompting Helem to transform its event into a closed conference streamed on social media. This strategic shift aimed to mitigate the risk of potential violence and safeguard the safety of attendees and Lebanese society at large.

Beirut Pride 2018

The second edition of Beirut Pride was scheduled for May 12–20, 2018. It started with a brunch in honor of the parents who did not kick their LGBT children from the family house because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The opening party brought 800 persons who sang and cheered to the performance of Lebanese singer and dancer Khansa, acclaimed Sudanese Brooklyn-based music band " Alsarah and the Nubatones", and danced to the disco music until the early morning hours. A Sunday brunch at the independent art incubator "Haven for Artists" featured a talk about trans-identity, followed by a talk with migrant workers about masculinity and femininity, before the massive

Beirut Grand Ball Beirut ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the fourth-largest city in the Levant region and the sixteenth-largest i ...

. Additionally, Beirut Pride announced the Corporate Pledge project it was developing: a policy for corporations not to discriminate against staff and clients based on their sexuality and identity. Moreover, performances, talks, a gender-fluid fashion show and parties were programmed, a

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

and a magazine were ready to be launched. However, on the third night, Monday, May 14, 2018, Beirut Pride was raided following the dissemination of a homophobic, sensational, fabricated programme that was attributed to Beirut Pride. The police arrested the organiser of Beirut Pride, and despite the interrogation proving the falsity of the accusations, the general prosecutor of Beirut ordered the suspension of the scheduled activities before initiating criminal proceedings against Hadi Damien for organizing events "that incite to debauchery". Following the crackdown, Beirut Pride witnessed a surge in support with hundreds of people calling, sending messages and offering assistance. A media frenzy surrounded the event, and condemnations poured from

international organisations An international organization, also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is an organization that is established by a treaty or other type of instrument governed by international law and possesses its own leg ...

, foreign governments, Lebanese parliamentarians,

InterPride InterPride is the international organization that brings together Pride parade, Pride organizers from across the World to network, share knowledge, and maximize impact. To this end, Pride organizers design InterPride's structure, programs, and ini ...

, and other prides such as Marseille Pride and

Copenhagen Pride Copenhagen Pride is Denmark's largest annual Human Rights festival, focused on LGBTQ issues. It involves the entire capital Copenhagen and is held in August. A colourful and festive occasion, it combines political issues with concerts, films and a ...

Beirut Pride 2019

The third edition was announced for September 28 - October 6, 2019. The year 2019 also marks the 50th commemoration of the

Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, Stonewall revolution, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous riots and demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of ...

. The opening ceremony that was supposed to be held in Aresco center 3 "The Palace" in Al Hamra, got postponed after the member of the republic asked to stop the festival's activities accusing them of "violating moralities". It had already lost the support of the community after a

trans woman A trans woman or transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity and may experience gender dysphoria (distress brought upon by the discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their ...

came out about her negative experience with the founder and people questioned how the event was managed.

Beirut Pride 2020

The 2020 Beirut Pride event was held against the context of both the global

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and the devastation of much of Beirut by an explosion on 4 August. Beirut Pride offered a package of material related to arts, education, and mental support. As most Pride events in the world were suspended due to COVID-19 restrictions, EPOA and

organized

on June 27, a digital 27-consecutive-hour event streamed on YouTube and on several online channels. Beirut Pride secured contributions from

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, in addition to the participation of other countries from the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

and the Arab World such as

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

, and groups from the

Arab diaspora Arab diaspora is a term that refers to descendants of the Arab emigrants who, voluntarily or forcibly, migrated from their native lands to non-Arab countries, primarily in the Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia, and West Africa. Immigrants from ...

. Arabic-speaking participants also suggested Arabic terms that are equivalent to “

Pride Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...

”, and voted on them, eventually choosing (). Beirut Pride contributed two videos to the Global Pride event. One produced by media platform Megaphone, released on the

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) is observed on 17 May and aims to coordinate international events that raise awareness of LGBTQ rights violations and stimulate interest in LGBTQ rights work worldwid ...

2020, and offering an expansive overview on LGBTIQ+ realities in Lebanon; and a second, soothing, video "We Learn from Lebanon" depicting the movement of Mediterranean sea waves with a message of stability and steadfastness, produced by Beirut Pride just a few weeks before the Beirut explosion.

Beirut Pride Initiatives

For Beirut Pride to sustainably grow, organizers went beyond Pride Days and started working on some LGBTIQ+ files. Beirut Pride opened channels of communication with all religious authorities and political parties. It lobbied during the Parliamentary elections of May 2018 for the decriminalization of homosexuality, which the

Christian democratic Christian democracy is an ideology inspired by Christian social teaching to respond to the challenges of contemporary society and politics. Christian democracy has drawn mainly from Catholic social teaching and neo-scholasticism, as well ...

Kataeb Party The Kataeb Party (), officially the Kataeb Party – Lebanese Social Democratic Party ( '), also known as the Phalangist Party, is a right-wing Christian political party in Lebanon founded by Pierre Gemayel in 1936. The party and its parami ...

and some independent candidates endorsed from the

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

and with the

Lebanese American University The Lebanese American University (LAU; ) is a secular private American university with campuses in Beirut, Byblos, and New York. It is chartered by the board of regents of the University of the State of New York and is recognized by the Lebane ...

. It maintained its media presence, and worked with journalists and reporters on several LGBTIQ+ coverage. Beirut Pride facilitated several photoshoots in Lebanon on LGBTIQ+ themes, and initiated the Arabic script #TypeWithPride based on the Gilbert Color Bold typeface, currently in development with designer Ghiya Haidar and Fontself. Through a regular presence on the international scene, participating to local and global talks, conferences and panels, expanding philanthropy and assistance, Beirut Pride constantly builds its reputation which positions it in the LGBTIQ+ global narrative.

HIV/AIDS

For

World AIDS Day World AIDS Day, designated on 1 December every year since 1988, is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and mourning those who have died of the disease. The acquired immu ...

, Beirut Pride launched a three-day event focusing on

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

and

sexually transmitted infections A sexually transmitted infection (STI), also referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the older term venereal disease (VD), is an infection that is spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, or ...

. Organizers got the rights to adapt the

UNAIDS The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS; , ONUSIDA) is the main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The mission of UNAIDS is to lead, strengthen and support an ex ...

World AIDS Day campaign of 2017, and renewed this collaboration in 2018. Beirut Pride also issued the trilingual HIV Multi-Sectorial Framework in Lebanon, before revisiting and augmenting a

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

bill that frames the rights of

people living with HIV HIV-positive people, seropositive people or people who live with HIV are people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus which if untreated may progress to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). According to estimate ...

, emphasizes on national prevention outreach and criminalises

discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

against people with HIV.

References

External links

Beirut Pride website
{{LGBTQ, culture=yes Festivals in Lebanon Pride parades in Asia LGBTQ in Lebanon Culture in Beirut Annual events in Lebanon 2017 in Lebanon 2018 in Lebanon 2010s in Beirut Events in Beirut Recurring events established in 2017 2017 establishments in Lebanon LGBTQ culture in the Middle East LGBTQ culture in the Arab world 2017 in LGBTQ history