[LCM Events] AN ITINERARY OF HUMAN RIGHTS

[Philippe Charles Saad]

The LLM Writing Workshop presents a talk by

Sami Zeidan

LLM Candidate '06

on

THE GAY INTERNATIONAL JOURNEYS EASTWARD: AN ITINERARY OF HUMAN RIGHTS
ADVOCACY IN LEBANON

"Pro-gay" human rights advocates who have written about sexuality in the
Arab/Muslim world have not successfully shown how (and what it means) to do
"pro-gay" advocacy in the Middle East. Joseph Massad even denies altogether
the existence of any homosexual identities in the Arab world. Although
theoretically fascinating, the issue often becomes one of labeling versus
not labeling, but little serious attention is given to how to move forward
in a region fraught with very real discrimination and oppression of persons
with same-sex desire or "practitioners of same-sex contact".



The unique space created by the combination of 1- de facto pluralism and 2-
the fact that it is a state that does not really represent its people
(homophobic for the most part) makes Lebanon a readily available substrate
for examining what it means to do human rights advocacy - especially "gay"
rights advocacy - and do it well. Above and beyond sexual orientation, the
"Lebanon" space allows us to ask questions around identitarian politics in
general, such as: What does it mean to seek to maintain a Lebanese identity
as opposed to importing the western model to Lebanon?



This paper asks: Can we disaggregate 1- the need to avoid importing Western
models of sexual identity in Lebanon, from 2- the absence of public space
for deliberation over what it means to have same-sex intimacy in Islam and
the Arab world? In other words, how true is it that allowing a public debate
over legalization of same-sex intimacy inevitably leads to an invasion of
local culture by Western norms? This study represents a small but important
first step in filling this gap. It argues for the necessity of a public
space for sexual minorities in Lebanon to (at least have the chance to) work
out a grassroots self-definition.


Sami's supervisor is Professor David Kennedy


Thursday, May 4th 4:30-5:30 ILS 211 (International Legal Studies, Harvard
Law
School, Graduate Program Lounge)
http://www.law.harvard.edu/ils/


Cookies will be served

--
Philippe Charles Saad
534 Columbus Avenue, Apt 43
Boston, MA 02118
+1 617 230 6670
psaad at alum.mit.edu
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