Georges Azzi
Georges Azzi (born 1979) is the co-founder of Helem, a Lebanese non-profit organisation working on improving the legal and social status of LGBT people, and is the executive director of the Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality.[1][2][3]
Georges Azzi | |
|---|---|
| Organization | Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality |
Early life and education
Azzi grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, in a conservative Christian family, during a civil war which divided Beirut between the East (the predominantly Christian side) and the West (the predominantly Muslim side).[3] He moved to Paris in 2000, where he earned a degree in engineering, multimedia, and communications and became involved in LGBTQ activism.[3] As a gay man who had grown up in Lebanon, he wanted to set up a centre in Beirut similar to Paris's LGBTQ Centre, to give LGBTQ people opportunities he had lacked.[1] He co-founded Helem (which means "dream" in Arabic) in 2004.[3]
Career
Azzi is an openly gay activist in the MENA region and has been described as "a prominent activist for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights" by the Lebanese Daily Star.[4] On May 14, 2018, Azzi won OutRight Action International's Felipa de Souza Award for his work with The Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality.[3][5]
References
- Bocci, Dominic (15 July 2013). "LGBTQ Rights in Lebanon: an Interview with Georges Azzi". Muftah. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- Tracer, Dan (7 March 2014). "Lebanon Court Rules Being Gay Does Not Violate 'Laws Of Nature'". Queerty. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- Teeman, Tim (15 May 2018). "Inside Georges Azzi's Brave Fight for LGBT Rights in the Middle East". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
- Rainey, Venetia (5 March 2014). "Landmark ruling rubbishes anti-gay law in Lebanon". The Daily Star. Lebanon. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- "Lebanon blocks Grindr in latest attack on LGBT+ community". Independent. 28 May 2019.
Further reading
- Bickel, Markus (1 February 2007). "Helem ist die einzige organisation in der Arabischen welt, die sich für die rechte von lesben und schwulen einsetzt" [Helem is the only organization in the Arab world advocating for the rights of lesbian and gay people]. Berliner Zeitung (in German).