ALBAWABA - Amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and even inside Lebanon, the Minister of Culture, Muhammad Wissam Al-Murtada, is preparing for a workshop to combat "homosexuality and LGBTQ+".
Under the title, "Challenges of Lebanese Society in Protecting the Family," the Lebanese minister is awaiting a new workshop to further restrict LGBTQ+ members and "preserve family values" in Lebanon.
On X (formerly Twitter), a right-wing group calling itself "Soldiers of God" has asked the head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea to strongly work together to battle the "gay community".
Many other institutions, including the Lebanese Women's Council and the General Labor Union, also announced joining the workshop that will be held next Wednesday, which aims to combat "homosexuality and protect family values."
Nonetheless, Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code stipulates that "any unnatural sexual intercourse is punishable by imprisonment for up to one year," but a series of rulings issued by courts since 2007 have concluded that consensual same-sex relations do not constitute a crime.
The Lebanese judiciary relies on Article 534 in its provisions criminalizing same-sex relations and punishing gays, lesbians, and transsexuals, while the security forces pursue “gender irregular” people, and sometimes suspicion of their appearance or the way they dress is enough to arrest and investigate them, Erem News reported.
The new workshop in Lebanon has caused massive criticism and a wave of anger among Lebanese who slammed the government's shifted focus on LGBTQ+ matters while forgetting the war in Gaza, continuous Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, and the failure of replacing former president Michel Aoun.
Lebanon has failed to elect a new president to replace Aoun who severed in the government from 31 October 2016 until 30 October 2022.
