LGBT Shelter Opens in Beirut for Those Displaced by Israel-Hezbollah War

Catherine Cartier and Emilie Madi published an article on May 6, 2026, describing a shelter in Beirut operated by the LGBT advocacy organizations Helem and Mosaic. The facility has become a refuge for people displaced by the war between Israel and Hezbollah that began on March 2, 2026.

Mohammed, a gay man from conservative south Lebanon, was living with his brother near Sidon when Israeli strikes hit the building two weeks after the war started.

He fled to the shelter, where he shares a room. “It was like a safe place. I even felt a sense of psychological relief when I arrived,” Mohammed said. More than one million people have been displaced by the war.

Of those, 124,000 have sought refuge in government shelters while most live with relatives or have rented apartments. Government shelters are designed to host families and regularly exclude those not considered part of a conventional family unit, said Doumit Azzi, Helem’s communications coordinator. The shelter opened by Helem and Mosaic is often the only recourse for LGBT people in Lebanon.

The shelter’s rooms are furnished with donated items including bunk beds. An LGBT person who lives elsewhere brings hot meals for residents. The shelter’s location is kept secret to avoid backlash from conservative members of Lebanese society.

Mohammed said, “I'm Mohammed, that’s it. A ceasefire was announced on April 16, 2026. Continuing hostilities have kept many from returning home. Samar, a social worker with Mosaic, said a hotline run by the organization has been receiving around 100 calls a day seeking help.

Mina, an Egyptian transgender man, arrived in Beirut in January 2026 after fleeing persecution in Egypt. He was recently asked for his papers at a checkpoint and faced offensive comments because his identification card listed him as a woman. “I am a trans man, they were looking at the document and then at me, and things were said that shouldn't be said,” Mina said.