ACTIVISM AND RESILIENCE: LGBTQ PROGRESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA CASE STUDIES FROM JORDAN, LEBANON, MOROCCO AND TUNISIA About OutRight Every day around the world, LGBTIQ people’s human rights and dignity are abused in ways that shock the conscience. The stories of their struggles and their resilience are astounding, yet remain unknown—or willfully ignored—by those with the power to make change. OutRight Action Internation- al, founded in 1990 as the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, works alongside LGBTIQ people in the Global South, with offices in six countries, to help identify community-focused solutions to promote policy for lasting change. We vigilantly monitor and document human rights abuses to spur action when they occur. We train partners to expose abuses and advocate for themselves. Headquartered in New York City, OutRight is the only global LGBTIQ-specific organization with a permanent presence at the United Nations in New York that advocates for human rights prog- ress for LGBTIQ people. [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/outrightintl http://twitter.com/outrightintl http://www.youtube.com/lgbthumanrights OutRight Action International 80 Maiden Lane, Suite 1505, New York, NY 10038 U.S.A. P: +1 (212) 430.6054 • F: +1 (212) 430.6060 This work may be reproduced and redistributed, in whole or in part, without alteration and without prior written permission, solely for nonprofit administrative or educational purposes provided all copies contain the following statement: © 2018 OutRight Action International. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of OutRight Action International. No other use is permitted without the express prior written permission of OutRight Action International. For permission, contact [email protected]. Written by Suraj Girijashanker, David W. Leebron Fellow at the Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality and OutRight Action International i About AFE The Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality (AFE) is an officially registered non-governmental organization based in Beirut, Lebanon. AFE focuses its efforts exclusively on Arab states across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). AFE’s vision is to have societies where sexuality, gender and bodily rights are promoted, recognized and respected. The mission of AFE is to encourage and support sexuality, gender and bodily rights’ movements in the Middle East and North Africa through capacity building, knowledge production, exchange, and security and emergency response. [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/afemena.org/ https://twitter.com/afemena Arab Foundation For Freedoms And Equality Sioufi Street, Abdallah Hanna Building, 1st floor P.O. BOX: 16 70 43, Achrafieh, Beirut – Lebanon Phone: +961 1 326469 ii Table of Contents Foreword ....................................................................................................................................................................................1 Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................................... 2 Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Methodology ..........................................................................................................................................................................7 Jordan .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Timeline of key events ................................................................................................................................................ 9 1. The legal and social context ................................................................................................................................... 9 2. LGBTQ activism in Jordan: survival in the face of repression .......................................................... 13 3. Key areas of progress ..............................................................................................................................................14 4. Ongoing challenges and opportunities .........................................................................................................19 Lebanon .....................................................................................................................................................................................21 Timeline of key events ...............................................................................................................................................21 1. The legal and social context ..................................................................................................................................21 2. The growth of the Lebanese LGBTQ activism .......................................................................................... 24 3. Key areas of progress ..............................................................................................................................................26 4. Ongoing challenges and opportunities .........................................................................................................31 iii Morocco ...................................................................................................................................................................................34 Timeline of key events ................................................................................................................................................34 1. The legal and social context ............................................................................................................34 2. The growth of Moroccan LGBTQ activism .................................................................................................. 37 3. Key areas of progress ..............................................................................................................................................38 4. Ongoing challenges and opportunities ........................................................................................................40 Tunisia ......................................................................................................................................................................................43 Timeline of key events ..............................................................................................................................................43 1. The legal and social context ................................................................................................................................43 2. The growth of Tunisian LGBTQ activism ..................................................................................................... 45 3. Key areas of progress ............................................................................................................................................. 47 4. Ongoing challenges and opportunities ........................................................................................................ 52 Conclusion: strategies for progress ............................................................................................................ 55 iv Foreword This report is a love letter to activists and LGBTIQ people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). There’s a certain perception of the region. Journalists, donors and foreign governments ask the Arab Foundation for Equality and OutRight Action International all the time if ‘anything can be done’ and when there will finally be progress for LGBTIQ rights. Sometimes, they describe it as the worst place on earth to be LGBTIQ. It’s not entirely surprising. The region has some of the world’s harshest anti-LGBTIQ and pro-morality laws. Human rights, the rule of law, and economic stability are also suffering severely. In spite of these challenges, we have seen enormous advances in the MENA region in LGBTIQ organizing and rights in recent years. Activists always find a way, even in the hardest places. We wrote this report to show a different kind of activism. The activism described in this report shows that progress is slow, but MENA activists have created original strategies to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Instead of seeing the MENA region as ‘stuck’, this report demonstrates the opposite. There’s so much to learn about resilience, coalition-building and art for social change from LGBTIQ activists in MENA. This report is a case study of four countries: Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia. In each country, set-backs and progress have gone hand-in-hand. This report has many lessons learned. First, it showed us there’s no right way to do things. Faced with similar morality laws and condemnation from government officials, the activists found varied ways to adapt. Second, the report reminds us that failure is integral to progress. When 100 community members were outed online in Jordan or community events were shut down in Lebanon, activists paused,