GENDER & SEXUAL RIGHTS IN LEBANON

6 out of 128 of Lebanon’s parliament is female, a total of 4.7%
22% of the workforce in Lebanon is female.
Women cannot pass their Lebanese citizenship on to their children.
Not all forms of domestic violence are criminalised, including marital rape.
Abortions are illegal under articles 539-546 of the penal code unless the mother's life is at risk, and women are liable to prison time of up to 3 years - more than time served by rapists. Dangerous black market procedures are not uncommon if a woman cannot afford to travel abroad.
Lebanon has 15 separate personal status laws for its recognized religions, meaning there are areas of law governed by religious courts and not the state. There are no civil codes in central government that cover issues such as divorce, property rights, marriageable age restrictions, or care of children. These laws are administered by autonomous religious courts with little or no government oversight, and often issue rulings that violate women’s human rights.

Article 534 of the Lebanese penal law prohibits sexual relations that contradict "the laws of nature".
In a landmark court case in January 2017, the judge ruled that homosexuality is not illegal. The penal law however remains unchanged.
In cosmopolitan areas of Beirut LGBTQI+ individuals with the financial capacity can live with relative freedom.
Harassment and lack of acceptance among families and communities is common, meaning many LGBTQI+ individuals are unable to acknowledge their identity.
During the 2018 election, nearly 100 candidates came forward in favor of abolishing Article 534. While there is some debate over whether this constituted pink washing, it was the first time this had happened in Lebanon.

As of January 2015 it became legal in Lebanon for transgender individuals to correct their gender on their ID, but only after surgical transition.
While transgender people have legal rights, they are subjected to harassment and persecution when seen in public spaces.
Trans* individuals are subjected to police harassment and commonly arrested under prostitution laws, whether or not they are sex workers. This is an even more common practice with trans* refugees.
For trans* people public and private spaces of harassment can lead to individuals dropping out of education, struggling to get health care and insurance, being unable to find paid work, and losing family support, meaning many trans* people struggle financially as well as emotionally.
Support for older trans* people is even more constrained, housing in particular is difficu

QNB