LGBTQ Rights & Resistance in the Middle East: Examining the Factors - Research Paper

Introduction

"I am human like everyone else, and I have rights. I will defend those rights". This is Ahmed`s statement, which is gay and is just but a reflection of what other people like him are willing to do to defend their rights. Only to what extent were the LGBTQ people of the Middle East countries ready to go to fight against social injustices just because they were different? This essay tries to examine the factors that contributed to women`s and LGBTQ in the Middle East resistance and their survival.

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Many countries in the Middle East are known to have authoritarian governments, which might a massive reason for infringement of human rights. An authoritarian government enforces obedience at the expense of the citizen's freedom. These may lead to political instability, a hindrance to regional peace. The fact that such governments are so strict is a contributing factor to the rise of resistance. If citizens feel that the laws passed by its government infringe on their rights, they will always have a desire to resist against such a government. As people came to realize that they can actually stand against authoritarian regimes or even overthrow them, they realized that they could also stand for their rights hence the emergence of LGBTQ movements. Another factor that could lead to the development of resistance is the social status and gender minority. In most countries in the Middle East, there is inequality in the social rights of LGBTQ people; this makes members of LGBTQ movements more vulnerable to social injustices than any other place worldly. They are not only looked down upon by the State but also stigmatized by fellow citizens.

For instance, homosexuality is only legal in Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Cyprus and Bahrain. Male homosexuality is illegal in Iran, Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon and Oman among others. Female homosexuality is only allowed in Iran and Palestine (Bonet, Lorelei, Brooke E. Wells, and Jeffrey T. Parsons. 122). In countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia and Yemen homosexuality is illegal and is punishable by death. In terms of gender identity (This is for the Trans genders), sex reassignment is only allowed in Iran, Israel and Turkey. It is even worse those in countries that legalize homosexuality. Discrimination against LGBTQ members becomes even worse since they are disadvantaged in terms of their number, and doing so will only mean confessing to breaking the law. An excellent example in such a case is Iran. It is only fair that the members of LGBTQ will look for ways for survival.

The internet is another factor that could have not only catalyzed the emergence of LGBTQ movements but also provided a means for the campaign and survival of such actions. Every state in the Middle East Region considers homosexuality a social taboo, and therefore public demonstrations and riots will only lead the LGBTQ members to more trouble with the society. The majority of the countries in the region are Muslim. Muslims are very conservative, and to them, homosexuality is haram meaning it's against Islam teachings; therefore, this makes it even harder for the LGBTQ members to pass gay rights messages to such a society. The only reasonable channel for them to speak out and fight for their rights and hence persuade the government to make homosexuality legal is through the internet. Through the internet, they can meet fellow LGBTQ from other states and therefore give each additional support. However, demonstrations have occurred (Dank, Meredith, et al. 132). The internet is not only the best way to spread their gospel but the cheapest. For example, in Lebanon, one domestic protest happened when some gays and transgender were detained for going to an LGBTQ club in 2013.

Other technological developments like increased access to smartphones and television stations like Al Jazeera provided opportunities for advancement and survival of the established movements. However, the impact of such events differs from country to country. This could be because of the varying differences in internet access and freedom of the given state. In Jordan, the LGBTQ members formed collaborations with other initiatives like women's rights organizations since the government could no approve the formation of LGBTQ non-profit making organizations meant to support their members. These have not only allowed speaking out, but also they can learn from other initiatives the strategies for online campaigning and how to strengthen their movements (Doan, Petra and Harrison Higgins 232). They also realized that including women in the changes was essential for the growth of the progress. Men are the majority of the people leading the campaigns, but creating a space for the women was undoubtedly the right move.

The emergence of a society that is more post materialistic than materialistic is vital in controlling and monitoring the individuals. This is to means that people in the region were shifting from a life that is more concerned with security and safety to living a quality life. The people become more involved with remote and unthreatening needs as compared to immediate and threatening needs like food. The emergence of LGBTQ movements is a clear indication of this. The government may use the materialistic nature of its citizens to eliminate the conditions of living a quality life hence affecting the rights of individual people, particularly the LGBTQ members.

Moreover, globalization cannot be left out in the list of factors that lead to the emergence of the LGBTQ movements. Also, the countries in the region tried to open up their borders to encourage trade and hence, regional development. It is an opportunity that paved the way for LGBTQ members to come into contact with their counterparts from other countries (Dalacoura, Katerina 331). They would exchange strategies to campaign for their rights.

Arguably, the resistance of the LGBTQ members was put on the need to control the spread of HIV/AIDS amongst their members. They aimed to educate the members on prevention measures and safe-sex practices. However, this may not hold any water since HIV/AIDS spread rate in the gay members was no different from heterosexuals. The commonness of HIV/AIDS is also different from country to country, making it hard to generalize.

Mustafi, an Islam homosexual, asks what the wisdom behind the creation of homosexuals is and that who should be blamed. Mufti, an enemy of homosexuals and a staunch Muslim, answers him that the blame, consequences, and punishments will befall the sinner. Mustafi and Mufti have different views about homosexuality. While Mustafi takes homosexuality as a sexual identity Mufti talks of it as sexual sin. Mustafi`s opinion is the new approach, while that Mufti is the old approach. As much as the methods may look contradictory one is a continuity of the other. However, the Mufti, in this case, is spreading discourse in heterosexuality. The presence of anti-homosexuality discourse is what leads to the emergence of LGBTQ movements to look for ways that they could use to resist effectively. Club free in Lebanon established in 1999, is but an example of such communities that developed due to anti-homosexuality discourse (Dalacoura, Katerina 415). Its original aim was organizing social and cultural events that gave opportunities to the LGBTQ members to attend.

Works Cited

Bonet, Lorelei, Brooke E. Wells, and Jeffrey T. Parsons. "A positive look at a difficult time: A strength-based examination of coming out for lesbian and bisexual women." Journal of LGBT Health Research 3.1 (2007): 7-14.

Dalacoura, Katerina. "Women and gender in the Middle East and North Africa: mapping the field and addressing policy dilemmas at the post-2011 juncture." (2019).

Dank, Meredith, et al. "Surviving the streets of New York: Experiences of LGBTQ Youth, YMSM, and YWSW engaged in survival sex." (2015).

Doan, Petra L., and Harrison Higgins. "The demise of queer space? Resurgent gentrification and the assimilation of LGBT neighborhoods." Journal of Planning Education and Research31.1 (2011): 6-25.