Lebanese Minister of Interior, Marwan Charbel, declared publicly on TV that Lebanon is against ‘sodomy' and rhetorically wondered if married gay French couples should be allowed to enter Lebanon.

During an interview with Al Jadeed TV, Charbel referred to gays in an extremely derogatory religious term, ‘liwat’, referring to the cursed people of Lot, roughly translated as 'sodomy' and sometimes used to denote the meaning of ‘fags’.

Anal probes are still being used in Lebanon by security forces in order to ‘determine’ ‘proof’ of men being ‘gay’, revealed Legal Agenda (Al Mufakkira Al Qanuniyya), a local legal organization.

These tests, which Human Rights Watch has previously discredited, saying they amount to torture and humiliation, are still being carried out despite being banned by the Lebanese justice ministry and the country’s medical association.

Lebanese Canadian LGBT activists ran a successful campaign that led Canada to deny entry to a homophobic pop star from Lebanon.   All his scheduled concerts in the country have now been cancelled.

Unconfrimed reports, however, still suggest the pop star may attempt to reschedule some of the shows and apply again for a visa with the Canadian authorities.

Earlier this year, Mohamad Eskandar released a song called Ded El Enf, mocking the Lebanese LGBT community’s attempts to find acceptance in the country.

Lebanon’s justice minister, Shakib Qortbawi, demanded earlier this morning (1 September) an end to the use of anal probe exams used find out if men are gay.

During an interview with the Lebanese paper Assafir, the minister said the anal probe exams must stop, whilst acknowledging that the judiciary is totally independent but requested they should listen to his and the Lebanese Medical Association’s opinion.

‘In Lebanon there will be no more anal tests.

‘The judiciary is independent but they should listen to us,’ he said.

Two Lebanese men were detained last night (16 August) on suspicion of’ indecent acts’ in the Ashrafieh neighbourhood, Beirut.

The men, aged 42 and 22, were reported to having been caught having gay sex in a car.

Lebanese Murr TV (MTV) has publicly outed them, publishing their full names and ages.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Information the two men were handed over to the vice squad upon request from the judicial authorities.

Lebanese LGBT advocacy organization Helem held a protest this morning (11 August) in front of the Lebanese ministry of justice in Beirut, demanding immediate halt to the use of the anal probe and vaginal exams (used to test for virginity).

This historic protest was the biggest ever public demonstration of LGBT advocates and their supporter in the Arab world, and a very rare occasion. The only other protest happened in 2008, also in Beirut.

Lebanese medical chiefs have ordered doctors to stop carrying out 'anal probe' tests to find out if men are gay but the country's public prosecutor has said the tests should continue.

The 36 men arrested at a gay porn cinema in Beirut have had to pay for an anal probe exam to be conducted on them, despite it being a form of torture.

According to Helem, the LGBT advocacy charity in Lebanon, 33 of the 36 men arrested on Saturday have now been released on bail but may still be charged and face a court case.

Vice police in Lebanon have conducted anal exams on the 36 men who were arrested in a sting operation on a gay porn cinema.

The men were arrested in a police raid on the gay porn cinema in Beirut on Saturday (28 July). The cinema is famous for being a place where men meet to have sex with other men.

Of the 36 arrested, an unknown number have now been released after having an anal probe exam by an unnamed doctor.

Thirty six men were arrested yesterday (28 July) in a porn cinema in Beirut, Lebanon, Gay Star News can reveal.

Police raided Plaza Cinema, Beirut, which screens porn films and is famous for being a cruising spot, arresting 36 people including the owner, reported the Lebanese Murr TV (MTV) channel.

MTV’s report was written in a highly inflammatory language designed to stir up anti-gay feelings.

The sequel of Yossi and Jagger, the landmark 2002 film about the love between two male soldiers, has been released to glowing reviews from the Israeli press.

The original stunned audiences with its honest and tragic portrayal of lonely soldiers in love at the Israel-Lebanon border.

The sequel Yossi’s Story with deal with the survivor’s life after his lover was killed at a night-time ambush.

Director Eytan Fox said he wanted to portray a ‘new Israel’, and the sequel will include a new young soldier who is completely at ease with being gay.