LGBTQ rights in Syria | |
|---|---|
_disputed.svg) Syria proper shown in dark green; Syria's territorial claims over theIsraeli-occupied Golan Heights shown in light green. | |
| Legal status | Illegal since 1949 |
| Penalty | Up to 3 years imprisonment |
| Gender identity | No |
| Military | No official military |
| Discrimination protections | None |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships | No recognition of same-sex unions |
| Adoption | No |
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people inSyria face serious legal challenges which are not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. InBa'athist Syria (1963–2024), Article 520 ofthe penal code of 1949 prohibited "carnal relations against the order of nature," and it was punishable with a prison sentence of up to three years.[1][2]Beatings andtorture against LGBTQ people occur frequently in Syria, including attacks by the rebel groupHay'at Tahrir al-Sham[3][4] and theIslamic State.
Mahmoud Hassino, a gay Syrian activist and journalist who created the online magazineMawaleh, notes that regardless of the outcome of thecivil war, work needs to be done in the area ofcivil rights on behalf of all Syrians, not just theLGBTQ community. Miral Bioredda, a secular leader of theLocal Coordination Committees of Syria, said, "Personally I see homosexuality as a private matter. But Syrian society would say 'no way' if gays rose to claim their rights. Developing a civil society will take time." Nasradeen Ahme, a member of theFree Syrian Army which strived to topple the government ofBashar al-Assad, said "If I was in charge I would enforce tougher laws against homosexuals. If someone said homosexuals should bestoned to death as in Iran and Saudi Arabia, I would not object."[5]
In 2010, the Syrian police began a crackdown that led to the arrest of over 25 men. The men were charged with various crimes includinghomosexual acts, illegal drug use, encouraginghomosexual behavior and organizing obscene parties.[6]
After 2011, the LGBTQ community in Syria started to demand rights more openly, and campaigns outside of Syria began to spread awareness about LGBTQ rights. These campaigns were influenced by the growing number of Syrian immigrants and refugees who found more opportunities to speak out.
Many LGBTQ Syrian refugees have participated in gay pride parades around the world.[7][8]
In August 2015, theUN Security Council held a session on LGBTQ rights co-sponsored by the U.S. and Chile. The council heard testimony from refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq. InISIS-held areas, the refugees reported increased violence against women and members of the LGBTQ community. They reported that ISIS had claimed to have executed at least 30 people for "sodomy".[9] This was the first time in its 70-year history that the UN Security Council had discussed LGBTQ concerns.[10]
On 14 September 2021, Syrian LGBTQIA+ activists launched theGuardians of Equality Movement-(GEM), an organization that works to defend and protect the rights of the Syrian LGBTQIA+ community.[11]
In 1971, Syrian poetNizar Qabbani wrote "The Evil Poem", in which he described a sexual relationship between two women.[12]
Before 2011, a gay tour was organized by a man named Bertho. It was the first and the only gay tour in the Middle East, with main destinations including Damascus and Aleppo. "And it was the best destination ever", he says. "We’d go on tours of thehammams in Aleppo, and in Damascus it was a paradise for gay people. We never had any problems, never ever".[13] The tour passed through Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Since the beginning of the civil war, the tour stopped its activities in Syria.[13]
Furthermore, areas of Damascus that were previously underground LGBTQ hubs, and were practically the only places in Syria where an underground LGBTQ scene could even exist, have been eradicated since the start of the civil war and most cultural pursuits have stopped.[14]
LGBTQ movies and series
On 19 October 2017,Mr. Gay Syria was released. Written and directed by Ayse Toprak, the movie follows two gay Syrian refugees who are trying to rebuild their lives.[15]
A Lesbian Tale, a short movie, was filmed in Syria. It was published by Maxim Diab on 16 January 2014.[16]
The first reported cases ofHIV infection were in 1987.[17]
In 2005, the Deputy Minister of Religious Endowments publicly stated thatHIV/AIDS was divine punishment for people who engaged in fornication and homosexuality. That same year, the Health Ministry stated that only 369 people in Syria were infected with HIV and that the government offers such people "up-to-date medicines to combat this disease freely".[18] However,Non-governmental organizations estimate that there are actually at least five times as many, and theUnited Nations chastised the government for its ineffective prevention methods.[19][20]
Beyond tolerating the work of some NGOs, the government has established voluntary clinics that can test for HIV/AIDS and distribute some educational pamphlets, but comprehensive public education, especially for LGBTQ people, does not exist.[21]
Instead, the government launched a limited HIV/AIDS educational program for youth in secondary schooling.[22] The country is considered to have one of the lowest prevalences of HIV infection in the Region, with less than 2 per 100,000 among the general population affected and less than 1% among the most at-risk populations in 2018. The total number of total reported HIV cases until the end of the third quarter of 2019 was 1013.[23]
As part of the Rights in Exile Programme, the International Refugee Rights Initiative has compiled a resource page for LGBTI citizens of theSyrian Arab Republic.[2]
In July 2017, a Syrian young man residing inGermany namedAbdulrahman Akkad published a live video onFacebook, in which he announced his sexual orientation and that his family was pressuring him to marry against his will.[24][25] Akkad's story was mentioned in the human rights session in theGerman Parliament in 2020[26] by the German politicianDavid Berger.[27][28]
"One of you", or in Arabic "واحد منكن" (wahid minkun), is a social media movement that started on Facebook in 2020, then moved to Twitter for easier recognition. It launched around March in Syria, and later spread within the wider Arab community.[29] The campaign continued for a month afterwards, but the trend soon died due to other major events, primarily theCOVID-19 pandemic.
It started with university students painting the LGBTQ flag colors on their fingers, with the hashtag #oneofyou on their hands. They then took pictures with a faculty building while raising their hands, and posted it from various accounts. Most people who started the trend used fake social media accounts to post the pictures, out of fear of being recognized.
Reactions varied, from people defending the trend, to others promising blood, to people who participated afterwards.[citation needed]
No incidents happened while the trend was ongoing, no casualties, just online discussions. Some escalated into heated arguments, but nothing happened as the trend died.[citation needed]
Syrian LGBTQ+ refugees, like refugees of other nationalities, often face discrimination and exclusion in their host countries based on factors such as race, language, skin color and religious background.[30]
| Right | Legal status |
|---|---|
| Same-sex sexual activity |  Illegal since 1949 (Penalty: Up to 3 years imprisonment) |
| Equal age of consent | |
| Anti-discrimination laws | |
| Same-sex marriage | |
| Recognition of same-sex couples | |
| Stepchild adoption by same-sex couples | |
| Joint adoption by same-sex couples | |
| LGBTQ people allowed to serve openly in the military |  Depends on the military (cf.SDF) |
| Right to change legal gender | |
| Access toIVF for lesbians | |
| Commercialsurrogacy for gay male couples | |
| MSMs allowed to donate blood | |
Notable LGBTQ figures of Syrian descent
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