Lebanon Court: LGBT is not a Crime nor Against Nature

In a landmark decision for Lebanon’s LGBTQ community, a court in Beirut ruled in January, and made public only yesterday, that same-sex relations are not “contradicting the laws of nature” and therefore are not a crime. The decision was reported in The Daily Star, the leading English language newspaper in the Middle East.

Lebanon’s penal code still upholds Article 534, which punishes sexual acts “contradicting the laws of nature” with up to a year in prison. It has been traditionally used to prosecute LGBT people; however, this ruling could change the definition of what is regarded as “against nature.”

Judge Naji El Dahdah of Jdeide Court in Beirut rejected the case that was brought up by the state against a transgender woman who was accused of having “same-sex relations.” This decision was based on a 2011 ruling by Judge Mounir Suleiman, which stated that same-sex relations were not against nature, and hence could not be prosecuted under Article 534. Both rulings establish precedent that could ensure that same-sex sexual activity in Lebanon, a majority-Muslim nation in the Middle East, is no longer considered criminal or under the purview of Article 534.

“It’s a big step; it shows we’re moving in the right direction,” said Georges Azzi, a prominent activist for LGBT rights who is also the co-founder of Helem, a Lebanese group that has long been campaigning to change the law.

http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/lebanon-court-lgbt-is-not-a-crime-nor-against-nature

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