V. Challenges to the development of interreligious coexistence
E. Gender-related issues
62. Recently, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community in Lebanon launched a new public campaign to counter discrimination and social taboos based on sexuality. The campaign was organized to recall the decision made in 2013 by the national psychiatric board to remove homosexuality from a list of mental illnesses, in which it stressed that homosexuality was not an illness to be treated. While article 534 of the Penal Code states that sex acts “against nature” are a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment, in 2014 a court ruled that same-sex relations were in fact not a violation of the Penal Code. The Special Rapporteur encourages the ongoing discussions on the decriminalization of same-sex relations, including by challenging religious “justifications” for homophobic attitudes.
Link to full text of the report: Report-SRReligion-Lebanon-2015-eng