Mawlawi Goes Against State Council And Bans LGBT Conference
Although the State Council suspended the implementation of Bassam Mawlawi’s ban on pride events last week, the caretaker Minister of Interior issued a ban on an LGBTQ+ conference that was set to take place over the weekend in Achrafieh.
Mawlawi requested that security agencies intervene to halt the conference and prevent any other events “linked to homosexuality” from taking place.
According to Megaphone, the minister issued the ban to avoid any “security incidents” that may take place at the hands of the anti-LGBTQ+ group “Soldiers of God” who intended to stop the conference from taking place.
With this decision that compromises the freedoms of the LGBTQ+ community, Mawlawi defies the State Council’s decision to suspend his ban and proceeds with his crackdown on such events.
The minister’s blatant support for the rising homophobic sentiment in Lebanon is in direct violation of the Lebanese constitution and has left members of the community feeling unsafe and unable to express themselves freely as a marginalized group.
