Members of the LGBTIQ+ community in Lebanon are reporting that gay hookup app Grindr is no longer working, with the local Daily Star newspaper confirming the app has been banned nationally.
While access to the popular app was previously restricted in January, the country’s Telecommunications Ministry officially outlawed the app on May 24, with various local internet providers incrementally enforcing the ban.
The ban is the latest in a string of concerning incidents for the local LGBTIQ+ community.
Traditionally viewed as more progressive than other Middle Eastern countries in regards to LGBTIQ+ rights, back in February of 2019, the Human Rights Watch filed a complaint with the United Nations over reports that Lebanon’s security services “repeatedly interfered with human rights events related to gender and sexuality”.
This claim came following the attempted shutdown of a local LGBTIQ+ conference.
Now local LGBTIQ+ groups are slamming the country's Grindr ban as an attack on freedom of speech.
“It seems that the Lebanese government and in particular the Ministry of Telecommunications has no interest in safeguarding freedom of speech and association in Lebanon and has issued a memo on Friday ordering a complete and total ban of Grindr in Lebanon which will slowly start to take effect," the group Helem wrote in a statement.
“This is a gross violation of personal rights and freedoms. We were not deterred by previous bans and we shall not be deterred by this one, and we shall always continue our steady and stubborn march towards equality and inclusion.”
According to The Independent, Georges Azzi, executive director of the Arab Foundation For Freedoms and Equality, said the ban was part of a broader attack on LGBTIQ+ people in Lebanon.
“This is not an independent incident, this is part of a bigger campaign and strategy to limit the spaces of the LGBT community," Azzi said.
“The groups behind this campaign operate in an atmosphere where the government and security apparatuses are encouraging attacks on freedom of expression."
