"For many LGBTQ+ refugees, however, none of these are viable options. But one shelter is providing a safe space. 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."
"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 ad"
More than a million residents have been displaced in southern Lebanon due to the war involving Israel and Hezbollah, with many fleeing north to Beirut or to government shelters. LGBTQ+ refugees often cannot use common options because conservative attitudes and family rejection limit access to relatives and because government housing prioritizes family units. A shelter run by Helem and Mosaic in Beirut offers a rare safe space for LGBTQ+ people. Mohammed, displaced by Israeli air strikes, found refuge there with other LGBTQ+ residents and described immediate psychological relief. The shelter provides donated furnishings, shared rooms, hot meals delivered by an LGBTQ+ volunteer, and a Mosaic hotline receiving about a hundred calls daily seeking help.
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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