Beirut artists interpret experience of nonconformance in Middle East

Beirut artists are at the forefront of the gender and sexual identity conversation in the Middle East, telling different stories of queer cultures that at times are tolerated but often repressed.

“Beirut is a microcosm for the complexities of homosexual relationships in contemporary Lebanon,” Sofian Merabet told Al-Monitor. Merabet’s book “Queer Beirut” examines the notion of "queer space" and the role that colonial history and religion have played in the story of Lebanese queer people.