Defending the Rights of LGBTQ People in the MENA Region: Recommendations for Policy and Practice
Based on years of research, and on project implementation, this policy brief aims to provide policy makers and practitioners with a compass for their work concerning LGBTQ people in the MENA region. This policy brief is twofold, as it first aims to provide the reader with a brief on the lines of work needed to improve the situation of LGBTQ people in the MENA, and the importance of LGBTQ inclusion for development. Secondly, and most importantly, this brief focuses on offering an alternative framework of thinking and practice, which is more suitable for the context of the MENA region. The brief presents a methodology that has been developed through years of project work and piloting. The methodology demonstrates the importance of using context-specific language in order to address the discrimination of non-normative people, including but not limited to LGBTQ people, as they are victims to the same types of legal, political, economic and social discrimination and persecution- this policy brief has been made possible through the financial support of the Swedish Institute.