Lebanon was long considered the most liberal place for queer people in the Arab world. Since 2022, however, bans, attacks and war have made the situation considerably worse, and the German Foreign Office currently advises against travel to large parts of the country.
Legal situation: Article 534 of the penal code threatens “unnatural intercourse” with up to one year in prison. Several courts have refused to apply it to consensual same-sex relationships, but there is no binding landmark ruling. There is no partnership and no protection against discrimination; bills introduced in 2023 to explicitly criminalise homosexuality have not been passed so far.