As we are sitting here, waiting for everyone to sit in their places, excitement is unbelievable. The theater is almost full and you can almost hear all the heartbeats.
And then at 6:12 exactly, total silence. Everyone is watching the book's teaser.
At the end when they say "wisil l bareed... wa akhiran" Everyone claps , nadz on stage, again more clapping that wouldn't allow Nadine to start talking.
One thing is obvious, Nadine can hardly speak.
Why they wrote this book? Because there are programs like "a7mar bl khat l 3areed", because people look at
If you look at elections you will find is stupid, filled with old men that dont look like us! (applause)
Why we want to launch this book? To change the elections, to change the political cast so that they look at us.
The revolution...
The revolution has started through us.
We want to gather all the gay individuals so they become a political force.
And now a word from the Heinrich Boel... What's interesting is that, according to heinrich boell, this is one of the biggest project funded by heinrich boell so far. As a women's rights' project.
And now, to great applause Nadine presents Lina, who has accepted to read the stories in English.
And now... Bareed mista3jil!
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Structure: Each speaker will say a few things, then the floor would be open for comments and questions.
Rita el-Haddad
Was a homophobe, till the age of 19, taught that homosexuality was abnormal. She didn't feel she had to right to question authority. Did not know anyone who was gay, only exposed through media. At the age of 19, people she had known had come out to her, thus shattering her previous beliefs. An ethics course shattered the idea that homosexuality is unnatural. In an abnormal psychology course, she learned that homosexuality is not abnormal through the definition of normality. It is important to question authority, it is important to look things up and bother. To dispel myths we may have, we should challenge our beliefs.
Richard Dean
Will contribute through problematic arguments usually used:
- homosexuality is unnatural: it is not clear what "natural" means - it is very vague. Even if turns out to be unnatural it doesn't prove that it is wrong.
- homosexuality is wrong because if everyone were homosexual the human race would become extinct: this isn't a danger, we only got 8 billion left, so it isn't a convincing argument.
- argument associated with religion: if you say, "of course religions are opposed to homosexuality" it is not quite right. Check Hinduism and branches of Christianity who do not think homosexuality is wrong. Some Baptist churches now ordain gay ministers, etc. There's two different views about what religion could give us about morality. God gave humans the power of thinking, so we should be able to come to conclusions. Another view says that God tells us what to do, and maybe there are a few experts that we may listen to. Whatever is revealed should be discussed and interpreted without
Tima Al-Jamil
We must begin to think about these issues and talk about them. It has been discussed for centuries in other places in the world so there is so much diversity when it comes to the discourse ... Having said that, the idea of homosexuality has shifted from being a sin, deviance, pathology, a behavior. There is so much more on homophobia then on homosexuality when it comes to research. People want to understand why homophobes are homophobes rather than why homos are homos.
Facts:
- discussion begins in the 1800s through case studies with patients with pathological backgrounds
- no consistent evidence in pathological patterns that CAUSE homosexuality
- one consistent pattern: homosexuals have recorded since childhood, the age of 10, that they have felt different and have engaged in gender non-conformed behavior
- There are genetic and hormonal influences, neuro-psychologists have noticed a different
Freud by the end of his life said that homosexuality is not a psychological issue. Studies have correlated distress with experiences of stigma, etc. We define abnormality with distress, dysfunction and danger (to self and others)
Treatment has failed to "treat" patients and reverse their sexuality. 88% of a study have recorded no change in patients, for the rest, there's a decrease in homosexual BEHAVIOR but no increase in heterosexual desire.
Ghassan Makarem
Homosexuality in Lebanon:
-myth that there is tolerance
-myth that society is too conservative to accept homosexual acts/identity
in Helem, we noticed that there are different ways in looking at homosexuality. There is a relation with the education, the setting (urban: more likely to have a homosexual lifestyle). We do not know how people percieve homosexuality. There hasnt been any studies. Gays and Lesbians in Lebanon have it better here? Not entirely true. We have obstacles: article 534 criminalizes unnatural sexual intercourse. In some places used exclusively against gay men, less about gay women. At the end of 2002, they wanted to include lesbians in the penal code. It was stopped by a coalition of NGOs.Scientific evidence comes from Europe and the United States and they give false impressions. From the beginning at Helem, we made a decision that we are concerned with civic laws, we are not looking to reform any religion. We try not to deal with religious issues, but any reform should focus on civil law.
We look at how the state looks at homosexuals and whether there is any institutional discrimination against homosexuals. We have been working with various organizations in Lebanon, even though this article exists, Helem is in a coalition with the Ministry of Health and works with the Ministry of Public Affairs. We also work with the police on how gays and lesbians are treated.
Joshua Andresen
In the spirit of AUB's mission statement on diversity, tolerance and dialogue, we will take questions now.
question one: There is nothing scientific about homosexuality being okay, it was taken away from the medical ---- because of pressure of the gay lobby + and some animals eat their pheotus, does this mean we should do it?
Dr. Al-Jamil: the decision to remove homosexuality is based on arguments that were strong. Their homosexuality was not causing the three Ds. And thus they cannot "be treated" for being homosexuals. We have done more harm to our patients in trying to change their sexuality, we cause more distress.
Richard Dean: The argument is false, that
question two: if WHO and scientific research think that homosexuality is linked with diseases, do u think that it is acceptable for society to let homosexuals contribute to the decline of our society?
Dr. Al-Jamil: we have to find mediating factors that are mediating that relationship: acts of prejudice, discrimination ... I don't seem to be familiar with the studies that you are familiar with.
Public comment: May I suggest that in the future we may discuss homophobia as a disease
Question three: A friend told me that he doesn't have a problem with homosexuals as long as it's behind closed doors because he wouldn't know how to explain it to his son, that it's for pleasure, not for making babies. It got me thinking, To Helem, [something about sectarianism, her comment falajni]
About secterianism, Helem is a space where people come together ...
Dr. Al-Jamil: [...] studies show that children adopted in homosexual relations do not develop more homosexual tendencies than ones with heterosexual parents
Dr. Dean: [..] you wouldn't want to say if some situations create awkward moments for parents we should outlaw whatever.. we should find a balance...
Psychologist: Homosexuality is not an illness
Hana2:
Anchor: did you ever think that your husband cheated on you because he was sexually not satisfied with you
Hana2: no, men are cheaters, the man is a cheater
Anchor: I love men even with treason. I would never give up on men
Psychologist: Maybe Mrs. Hana2 has more sexually has more sexual needs than usual. In her case maybe
Sexual identity starts with the oedipus, the normal oedipus when the man gets attracted to the woman. Lesbians would seek to be obtain the man's body and for male homosexuality the man fuses with his mother and would seek to be with men like him
Omro Rifai: I love my dad, he's volatile but he was a good man
Anchor: do you think did something wrong?
Omro: yes
Achor: do you think you and your mom is one?
_______________________Break_____________________
Anchor to Amr: did anyone abuse you?
Amr: no
Anchor: But you were abused when you were 13, how did you feel?
Amr: tricked
Anchor: as a teenager, how was your relationship with women?
Amr: Awesome, I loved them
Anchor: physically?
Amr: yes once
Anchor: How did your sexual orientation to men evolve?
Amr: My friends, they influenced me, I fantasized about them and then it evolved
Anchor: did you ever feel something stopping you inside?
Amr: there is nothing wrong about it
Anchor: what is wrong what is right? homosexuality is wrong
amr: not a lot, but I want something better
psychologist: all homos feel guilty, even those who think they are not guilty, he has all the signs that made him gay, the absence of the father, abuse at early age, recurrent sexual behavior. He used to enjoy abuse subconsciously enjoyed. He was not born gay, he acquired homosexuality. Homosexuals can change and have a stable hetero relationships
Anchor to amr: what do you find in men?
Amr: tenderness, affection
Anchor: do you look for a man like your father
Amr: no
How do you find sexual ratification? is it easy?
Amr: no
Anchor: Internet?
Amr: yes, of course, like facebook
did you ever try to stop yourself? did you work?
Amr: I tried, it didnt work, now I stopped
do you still think of men?
Amr: no khalas
Anchor: do you think of women? or of men like women
Amr: if I wanted a woman I would have been with a true woman, as god has created her
Participant from the crowd: god spoke about this and banned this completely. Think of the people of Lut. God threw rocks at them. We all sin but to see sin as right that is horrible. This is not born with people, it's acquired, by bad way to be raised, dominant mothers, god is all forgiving, but you must fight the devil.
Amr: you dont agree with what we say, right?
Participant: you say that this is what you have become, you can change
Amr: but think of me as your son would you accept me?
Participant: no, of course not.
Anchor: but I read in the washington post that homosexual relationships are not stable
Amr: but they cheat because they think it's cool
Anchor: what do you think of our societies?
Amr: retards
Reportage: a guy who prostituted himself for a man, then he met his friends and so on. They portray him in a very crappy crappy apartment. "I became perverted because of my poverty"
Anchor to psychologists: gays want to change. Homosexuality is acquired, but how does two siblings grow different
Psychologist: because it's not always about the family. The child may identify with someone else than the father
Caller: I am openly gay, I have been living here for a while in qatar and in kuweit before that. I live very normally.
Anchor: how did you tell your parents?
Call: when I was in a long relationship I told them
Anchor: how did they accept it
Call: they accpet me though they are religious, but they accept me because they love me and they love my friend.
_____________________BREAK__________________
Tawiya: I respect men and love men, they are our fathers, brothers....
Anchor: How do you seduce women
Tawiya: there is not seduction, there is attraction
Anchor: does a butchy woman attract you?
Tawiya: I am butchy, i want a feminine strong woman
Anchor: isnt that contradictory?
Tawiya: Look feminine is not weak
Anchor: do you look for sex in women?
Tawiya: No! I look for affection
Anchor: cant a man give you affection
Tawiya: Of course they can, as a father, as a brother...
Anchor: were you ever with a man physically?
Tawiya: I was engaged with two men
Psychologist: fantasies are very diverse, just as humans are
Call3 (Adel): This is unacceptable. This should be repressed
Psychologist: Society is homophobic, homophobia is a reaction to the repressed homosexual half of human beings.
Call4: I agree with the acquired theory, I was sexually abused as a kid and I tried to stop myself from homosexuality but i couldnt.
Anchor: Homosexuality is illegal in Algeria
Tawiya
Mohammad l Hamed (Psy): It is not normal and not acceptable
Psychologist: This is not an illness but it can be changed
