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As part of the International Day Against Homophobia, Helem Montréal has developed its first awareness campaign in Arabic; an anti-homophobia flyer distributed all over Montréal, particularly in areas that boast a large Lebanese population- throughout school, hospital, and government networks.
Indeed, homosexuality, (criminalised in the majority of Arabic countries, and notably in Lebanon), is still very much a taboo subject, even within the Lebanese community of Montréal.
Those people who self-identify with or are perceived as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, are too often victims of discrimination, blackmail, violence, abuse, ostracism… Furthermore, many Lebanese go so far as to deny the existence of homosexuality among Arabs, or to consider it a ‘disease of the West’.
In 2007, Arabic-language media still use pejorative terms to qualify homosexuality: chaz (deviant), louti (sodomite), khenti (effeminate)… Far from combating homophobia, the usage of such negative expressions consequently reinforces the myths and prejudices of the population.
The expression Mithli el Jens (homo-sexual) is a relatively new term that was adopted in an effort to put a stop to the negative connotations reinforced by the terms used up until the present.
By undertaking this project, Helem seeks to encourage the awareness and usage of this new word, and to further contribute to the blossoming and integration of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in the Arab world.
In order to help in our endeavour, we would like to encourage you to adopt this new term, and request that you please display our poster in your establishment in a highly visible location.
If you would like to obtain more copies of this poster, please contact us via secretairemtl@helem.net .
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