17 Things You’ll Get If You’re Queer In Beirut

While all queer experiences cannot possibly be identical, here’s a glimpse at some shared ones.

Sending all the love and support to our queer families in Lebanon!

1. If you’re not out to your family, you’re constantly switching between gears

The one for your family, and the ultra-queer underneath reserved for your closest friends.

2. You have a total of…maybe three clubs to go to

While more and more places are becoming queer friendly in Beirut, you’re ultimately bound to 2.5 clubs you can attend.

3. You’re bound to run into your ex every weekend

See point #2. You will run into your ex every single weekend, there’s just no avoiding it.

4. You can recognize another queer person by how many mutual friends you have on Facebook/Instagram

If it’s anywhere between 4 and 10, they’re at the very least an ally.

5. You have attended/performed at storytelling events

We love chatting.

6. Sunday family lunches are essentially an exercise in self-control

*You can’t slap grandma, you can’t slap grandma…*

7. Lebanese TV portrays you as a national threat

Shows like Ahmar Bel Khat El 3areed and Lil Nashr make you want to cut your TV cables out and retreat back into the middle ages, which is incidentally where you feel you are.

8. You make a mental note of which businesses hang the LGBTQ+ flag during Pride Week

And you vow to give them all your money.

9. Speaking of Pride Week…

You plan to attend every year, and then it’s cancelled.

10. You may have gotten into a Twitter fight with Charbel Khalil

That worm.

11. You’re quick to understand that furry friends are family too.

12. You’ve either had or will have a celebration in your life featuring a rainbow cake.

13. At some point or another, you’ll have to take your hetero friend out for post-break up dancing.

14. You have or have had homophobic friends

Whether they’re distant cousins who we grew up with or the friends we made at school when we were still in the closet, we all have homophobic friends that at some point drain us of all our positive energy. Losing these people will be the best thing you will ever do.

15. You’ll always have Bardo

16. Every single victory that has to do with queer rights and gender equality makes your heart burst

It’s also a great way for you to find out who amongst your Facebook friends is homophobic…

17. You have a community that makes you feel loved for who you really are

And we’d like to think of ourselves as part of that community <3.