Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the Syrian Arab Republic may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Article 520 of the penal code of 1949, prohibits "carnal relations against the order of nature", and provides for up to three-years imprisonment. In territories controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham—which controls around 7% of Syria—LGBT Syrians are arrested, beaten, and executed. Mahmoud Hassino, a gay Syrian opposition activist, journalist who started the online magazine Mawaleh, notes that regardless of the outcome of the civil war, work needs to be done in the civil right area on behalf of all Syrians, not just the LGBT community. Miral Bioredda, a secular leader of the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, said "Personally I see homosexuality as a private matter. But Syrian society would say "no way" if gays rose to claim their rights. Developing a civil society will take time." Nasradeen Ahme, a member of the Free Syrian Army which works to bring down the government of Bashar al-Assad, said "If I was in charge I would enforce tougher laws against homosexuals. If someone said homosexuals should be stoned to death as in Iran and Saudi Arabia, I would not object."
In 2003 Syria, in the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, voted to postpone a United Nations draft resolution on human rights and sexual orientation. The vote was 24–17. The draft resolution would have the Commission express deep concern at the occurrence of violations of human rights in the world against persons on the grounds of their sexual orientation; stress that human rights and fundamental freedoms were the birthright of all human beings, and that the universal nature of these rights and freedoms was beyond question; and call upon all States to promote and protect the human rights of all persons regardless of their sexual orientation.
2004: Legislation of transgender rights
is legal in Syria. In 2004, a Syrian woman named Hiba came forward as a transgender woman who had been given permission to have a sex change operation.
2010: Political interference
In 2010, the Syrian police began a crackdown that led to the arrest of over 25 men. The men were charged with various crimes ranging from homosexual acts and illegal drug use, to encouraging homosexual behavior and organizing obscene parties.
After 2011, the LGBT community in Syria started to demand rights more openly, and campaigns outside of Syria started to spread awareness about LGBT rights. That was greatly affected by the expanding number of Syrian immigrants and refugees who found more opportunities to speak out. Many LGBT Syrian refugees participated in gay pride paradesaround the world.
2015: International concerns
In August 2015, the UN Security Council met in a session on LGBT Rights co-sponsored by the U.S. and Chile. The council heard testimony from refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq. In ISIS-held areas, the refugees reported increased violence against women and members of the LGBT community. They reported that ISIS had claimed to have executed at least 30 people for "sodomy." This was the first time in its 70-year history, that the UN Security Council had discussed LGBT concerns.
LGBT life in Syria
Culture
Before 2011, a gay tour was organized by Bertho. It was the first and the only gay tour in the middle east, choosing Damascus and Aleppo as one of their main destinations in the middle east. "And it was the best destination ever", he says. "We’d go on tours of the hammams in Aleppo, and in Damascus it was a paradise for gay people. We never had any problems, never ever". They tour passed by Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Since the beginning of the civil war, the tour stopped its activities in Syria due to the increase of terrorism caused by Islamic extremists. Furthermore, areas of Damascus that were previously underground hubs where LGBT would meet, and were practically the only places in Syria where an underground LGBT scene could even exist, have been eradicated since the Civil War began and most cultural pursuits have stopped. LGBT movies and series On 19 October 2017, Mr. Gay Syria was released. Written and directed by Ayse Toprak, the movie follows two gay Syrian refugees who are trying to rebuild their lives. A Lesbian Tale, a short movie, was filmed in Syria. It was published by Maxim Diab on 16 January 2014.
Social
With the development of modernization, society moving forward to the nuclear family and social tolerance toward LGBT people were gradually decline. until the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011. Due to the emergence of the war, society has become more tolerant of LGBT people. Safety, water, and food are their primary concerns, income, and education followed with the necessity.
HIV/AIDS issues
The first reported cases of HIV infection were in 1987. In 2005, the Deputy Minister of Religious Endowments publicly stated that HIV/AIDS was divine punishment for people who engaged in fornication and homosexuality. That same year, the Health Ministry stated that only 369 people in Syria were infected with HIV and that the government offers such people "up-to-date medicines to combat this disease freely". Non-governmental organizations estimate that there are truly at least five times that many, and the United Nations chastised the government for its ineffective prevention methods. Beyond tolerating the work of some NGOs, the government has established voluntary clinics that can test for HIV/AIDS and distribute some educational pamphlets, but comprehensive public education, especially for LGBT people, does not exist. Instead, the government launched a limited HIV/AIDS educational program for youth in secondary schooling.
Political support
As part of the Rights in Exile Programme, the International Refugee Rights Initiative has compiled a resource page for LGTBI citizens of the Syrian Arab Republic.
