Heartland Alliance International, ‘No Place for People Like You’, 2014

As of November 4, 2014, the conflict in Syria had caused over 1 million civilians to seek refuge in Lebanon, and refugees now make up over a quarter of Lebanon’s total resident population. Despite the dramatic number of refugees in Lebanon and the corresponding large-scale humanitarian response, there has been very little attention dedicated to understanding and addressing the needs of minority populations. The number of LGBT refugees in Lebanon is still unknown; however, given that conservative estimates approximate 5% of people worldwide self-identify as sexual minorities, the total number of LGBT Syrians in Lebanon may be close to 50,000. HAI acknowledges that only a small fraction of those refugees who are LGBT will self-identify and seek protections based on their sexual orientation and gender identity because of stigma and risk (real or perceived). However, HAI believes that for the sake of the hundreds of LGBT Syrians who will come forward, and the thousands more who may be at immediate risk and in need of urgent protection and support, the humanitarian community must take immediate, concrete action to safeguard the rights of this highly vulnerable population.