Shattered Hearts fundraising campaign came about a desire to help alleviate the suffering of LGBTIQ individuals after the explosion in the port of Beirut. A year later, the shattered part of the city of Beirut and the lives of thousands of its citizens continue to be gravely affected by the fifth most powerful blast in human history.
The neighborhoods of Gemmayzé and Mar-Mikhael, considered as the haven of Beirut’s LGBTIQ society, were the most damaged by the blast. The relationships of many LGBTIQ individuals were ripped apart by the explosion. They were forced to leave their homes to seek shelter with family and friends who are not aware of their sexual orientation, let alone their love life.
On a scale comparable to the seven plagues of Egypt, the explosion accentuated an already weak economy, non-existent government support, a corrupt political system, not to mention an international health crisis due to the pandemic. Add homophobia and transphobia to this toxic mix.
LGBTIQ victims of the Beirut explosion are the forgotten among the forgotten. We should see them, listen to their stories, understand their fears, and help in any way possible.
Moudi, 38 years old, She/They
For Moudi, August 4th began as an ordinary day off. She got up around 10am, cleaned the house, prepared a meal, and then she blacked out. Nothingness. When she regained consciousness, she found herself in the intensive care unit at a local hospital.
Andrea, 24 years old, He/Him
Andrea didn't hear the explosion. He remembers a strong vibration that lifted him up and suspended him in the air. Hovering over his bedroom, time stopped and he found himself reflecting wether he was dead or dreaming.
Thea, 23 years old, She/Her
Thea was locked up by her father in one of the rooms of the family home for 4 and a half months, after he had fired guns shots at her a few times, but never fatally, perhaps for fear of complications. In her own isolation, Thea could listen to the family’s morning conversations and hear her father wishing her dead.
Angelina, 20 years old, She/Her
Angelina believes in miracles and angels, but it was her love for Angelina Joli that inspired her name. "I've often been told that our eyes look the same," she says with a flirtatious smile. She also says: "Since I was little, I knew that I was born into a body that is not mine."
NIVINE, 24 years old, She/Her
"We just need to feel safe, to work, to be free like anyone else with an education and a job. We don’t want to be rejected by our society, we don’t want to be judged by the way we walk, how we dress, what we think or who we love."
Yvona, 34 years old, She/Her
All she managed to tell us about her life in a war-torn Syria was that she was kidnapped by a terrorist group and was under their control for 16 consecutive days… This initial part of our conversation abruptly ended with a few incomprehensible words, muttered in a low voice and followed by a long silence dramatically punctuated by the agony of tears and moans.
Shahinaz, 34 years old, She/Her
Shahinaz is a transgender Palestinian woman who stands proud in every inch of her identity. She is strong, self-sufficient and an accomplished chef as well. On August 4, 2020, her apartment was destroyed. When she applies to organizations for aid, she is often denied with feedbacks like “families come first” and “check with organizations that people like you belong to”, as if she was an alien on this planet.