Lebanese LGBTQ group responds to latest war

The Washington Blade spoke on March 6 with a man who remains stranded in Lebanon due to the escalating war in Iran.

Mario, who asked the Blade not to publish his last name, lives in the United States but was born in Lebanon. Before going to India for work, he decided to stop by for a doctor’s appointment.

Mario was about to board a plane at Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, on February 28, but airline officials announced that he would no longer be able to fly because authorities had closed the airspace.

The United States and Israel began airstrikes against Iran early in the morning.

One of them killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. In response, Iran launched missiles and drones against Israel and countries including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Azerbaijan, and Cyprus.

On March 1, an Iranian drone attacked a command center in Kuwait, killing six U.S. soldiers. Sergeant Declan Cody, Private 1st Class Nicole Amor, Captain Cody Koch, Staff Sergeant 1st Class Noah Tietjens, Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, and Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien. Another American soldier, Sgt. Benjamin Pennington died on Sunday, a week after Iranian drones and missiles targeted Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base.

Iranian drones and missiles also damaged civilian infrastructure, including hotels and airports in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait. On March 1, nine people were killed and 27 injured by an Iranian missile in Beit Shemesh, Israel.

The war leaves Mario and hundreds of thousands of others stranded in the Middle East.

“I had to go back home,” Mario told the Blade.

“Fortunately, I’m with my family,” he added.

“The war is being waged between Israel and Hezbollah.”

The Iranian-backed Shiite militant group Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel after Khamenei’s death and has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel. In response, the Jewish state carried out airstrikes against Hezbollah targets across Lebanon.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants launched a surprise attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing more than 1,200 people. Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel the next day.

On September 27, 2024, the Israeli military airstrike on Beirut killed Hassan Nasrallah, the long-time leader of Hezbollah. Four days later, Iran fired more than 200 ballistic missiles at Israel.

The United States helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which went into effect on November 27, 2024. Nevertheless, Israel continued airstrikes in Lebanon.

On June 13, 2025, Israel launched airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities. The war, which lasted for 12 days, led to the cancellation of the annual Tel Aviv Pride Parade.

Mario noted that Israeli airstrikes targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in the Shiite-majority Beirut suburb of Dahiya and southern Lebanon.

His family’s home is about eight miles from downtown Beirut. “There’s a mountain separating me from the area that’s being bombed, so I can’t hear anything,” Mario said.

“Lebanon is a very interesting combination because depending on what region you are in, the quality of life during this period can be different,” he said. “At the moment, the war is not between Israel and the Lebanese government. The war is between Israel and Hezbollah.”

“If you are in an area where Hezbollah is concentrated, you will be seriously affected,” Mario added. “If you are in other areas, even if they are Shiites or Muslims who are usually aligned with Hezbollah, you are still in a relatively safe place, a safe place.”

Hundreds of thousands of people in Dahiya and southern Lebanon have been evacuated from their homes under Israeli evacuation orders.

Mario said many of the evacuees were sleeping in cars or on the streets. He also referred to a video showing shepherds herding sheep and goats on a highway in downtown Beirut.

“He took the animals with him because he had to vacate the place where he was living,” Mario said. “It’s the first time in downtown Beirut that I’ve seen a herd of maybe 100 goats with two people sitting on jackasses walking down the street.”

“It’s very unreasonable,” he added.

The Lebanese government has opened schools and public shelters for displaced people, but Mario said many of them do not have enough food. He also said gas prices are rising and people are afraid to drive.

“It’s really sad to see children being affected,” Mario said. “Hezbollah made this decision and it was a unilateral decision.”

“I don’t think Shiites support them,” he added, referring to Hezbollah. “They can’t say out loud that they don’t support them, but I don’t think people are happy with having to leave their homes and find a place to stay for the second year in a row in less than two years.”

Lebanese government calls for LGBTQ-inclusive plans for displaced people

Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code provides that “sexual intercourse against the order of nature is punishable by up to one year in prison.” In recent years, some judges have chosen not to use the law to prosecute LGBTQ people charged under the law.

Lebanese LGBTQ and intersex rights organization Helem on March 4 called on the Lebanese government and international NGOs to develop a “comprehensive, fair and inclusive response, without exceptions or discrimination” to the Israeli airstrikes.

“The experience of the last war has shown that national response plans are not fully inclusive of displaced LGBTQ+ people,” Helem said. “Many faced complex challenges, including inability to access state mass shelters, exposure to harassment and violence, difficulty accessing health and psychosocial services, and fear of disclosing their gender identity or sexual orientation due to stigma and discrimination.”

“Emergency plans that do not take the most vulnerable people into account will put their lives and dignity at further risk,” it added.

Mr. Hellem also made the following request:

• Integrate a rights-based, non-discriminatory approach at all stages of planning and implementation to ensure safe and equal access to support and services.

• Train staff working in shelters and emergency response settings on the principles of protection from gender-based violence and discrimination, including on issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation.

• A re-evaluation of the currently adopted shelter model, which relies solely on the concept of the “traditional family” in line with a particular social structure. In practice, this leads to the systematic exclusion of nontraditional families and individuals who do not belong to traditional family units, such as LGBTQ+ individuals, survivors of domestic violence, migrant workers, and people without supportive family networks.

• Involve civil society organizations specializing in gender issues and LGBTQ+ rights in the design, implementation, and monitoring of emergency response plans.

• Establish clear monitoring and accountability standards to ensure that violations and discriminatory practices do not occur during the implementation of emergency plans.

“Disasters and conflicts do not justify the suspension of rights or the neglect of marginalized groups. On the contrary, in times of crisis, the need for a humanitarian approach based on dignity and equality becomes even more urgent.”

“Helem puts its expertise and experience at the discretion of relevant authorities and confirms its readiness to work with them to ensure that emergency plans are more fair, effective and comprehensive,” Helem said. “Dignity is indivisible and protection must include everyone without exception.”