How We Can Support Beirut and the LGBT+ Community There
August 18, 2020Millions of people around the world last Tuesday, August 4th, were brought harrowing scenes from the port of Beirut, where over 2,700 tonnes of highly-explosive chemicals, neglected for years, exploded in a fierce mushroom cloud that eviscerated the area and damaged buildings up to 20 miles away. Over a hundred people had died, and thousands more were wounded. It was a tragedy not only for Lebanon, which has suffered greatly these last few years, but for the World in general.
Particularly hard hit are Gemmayze and Mar Mikhael, the LGBT+ hubs of Beirut, which were situated less than 500 meters from where the fertiliser exploded. Not only now unrecognisable, they are practically uninhabitable and much like many places in Beirut, will now require extensive reconstruction in the capital city of a country already suffering from a financial crisis, compounded with the coronavirus pandemic which has left budgets stretched and hospitals reeling - before victims of the blast even arrived.
But all hope is not lost. A number of campaigns have popped up seeking to help Beirut, and its LGBT+ community, and you can find those below. All campaigns will be linked to if you want to get involved!
This campaign seeks to raise money - with a target of £30,000 - to donate to a number of Lebanese organisations, including the Lebanese Red Cross, Beit al Baraka who provide food, Basmeh & Zeitooneh which helps the homeless, and Embrace Lebanon who are providing mental health support to those affected by this catastrophe. In addition, the fundraiser will also be donating to the Lebanese Transgender Relief Fund and is currently working to locate additional LGBT+ organisations to help fund in the area to help rebuild the community. Set up by Lebanese expats, allies, activists and their friends, Rebuilding Beirut with Pride is hosting two events on the 22nd of June to further raise money: a digital auction of Queer and Arab art, as well as putting on a showcase of Arab and Queer performers later in the evening, with all proceeds going towards the fund.
Non-profit, non-partisan, non-political, and non-religious, Proud Lebanon has a simple goal: to empower marginalised communities to achieve equality and protection in Lebanese society. This has included extensive work with the LGBT+ community in Lebanon, providing support in areas such as legal representation, healthcare, social support, and empowerment services to help build up LGBT+ Lebanese communities. Since the Beirut Explosion, Proud Lebanon has responded quickly: through the resources it gathers, it is working to support LGBT+ people in Beirut and their families to access psychological support, food and hygiene kits, and other forms of basic assistance to keep the community safe during this incredibly trying time. Via their website, you can find various ways to support the organisation in the work it does to make sure LGBT+ people and their families in the city are safe. Check them out!
The Lebanese Red Cross has been on the scene from the day of the explosion, helping to provide medical support to the thousands of wounded people in Beirut, as hospitals continue to suffer overcrowding during the coronavirus pandemic. Through setting up blood donation stations, and finding volunteers, or transporting victims to hospitals further afield so that they can receive support, the Lebanese Red Cross has been working tirelessly to support the people of Beirut through this. Notably, the LRC was able to save a number of lives when its paramedics worked to find survivors in the rubble, and helped find them treatment as quickly as possible. Through your donations, you can help field more resources to provide much-needed medical attention and food relief to people who are now homeless and severely injured.
Helem is the first LGBT+ advocacy group in the Arab world, which has worked tirelessly in Lebanon to promote the equality of LGBT+ people and sponsor the Community to life in dignity and equality. Since the Beirut Explosion, they have teamed up with OutRightInternational, an organisation dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT+ people around the globe, to build relief programmes that you can donate to to help the LGBT+ community in Beirut stay safe. 100% of all donations given will go to helping LGBT+ individuals, either through direct aid, through helping finance the Helem relief centre to provide this aid, or through helping the organisation to buy essential items to provide to those who need it. Helem has carried out vital work in Lebanon before and is well-established in reaching out to support the Community when it needs it. You can donate via OutRightInternational’s website.
The International Medical Corps have been on the scene at a number of humanitarian disasters to provide medical support where there are fears that there may not be enough to go around. From Haiti to Nepal, the IMC has been present in Lebanon since 2006, providing support to Palestinian and Syrian refugees, and has now turned its attention to helping those injured in Beirut. Running nearly 50 medical centres around the country, the IMC have prioritised the treatment of COVID-19 victims, as the explosion has caused an uptick in cases as people move into hospitals with COVID-19 patients, and then are moved elsewhere, taking the virus with them. Despite their own offices being almost entirely obliterated, the International Medical Corps has continued to work tirelessly to ensure that the Lebanese people supported throughout this catastrophe.