LGBTI refugees seek haven in Lebanon
But persecuted Syrians, Iraqis and Algerians find it isn't what they imagined.
Don Duncan
November 16, 2011 06:05
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/lebanon/111115/lgbti-refugees-seek-haven-lebanonBEIRUT, Lebanon — The Algerian secret service gave transsexual Randa Lamri an ultimatum: Leave the country within 10 days or risk imprisonment and the defamation of her family.
Lamri, like many persecuted gays, lesbians and transexuals in the region, looked to Beirut for refuge.
"I was scared for my security and for the future of my family," says Lamri, 39, who came to Lebanon on a tourist visa and immediately set about securing a work visa so that she could stay longer.
A founding member of an underground lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights association in Algeria called Abu Nahas, Lamri's way of life had begun to provoke anonymous death threats from Islamist groups and persistent calls and visits to her workplace and family home from authorities.
