Timeline of LGBTQ history in Palestine
List
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a timeline of notable events in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Palestine.
Homosexuality is legal in West Bank, criminalization of homosexuality remains in Gaza Strip. Despite that, there are some LGBTQ organizations promoting LGBTQ rights or support.[1]
19th Century
1858
- During the Tanzimat reform period in the Ottoman Empire, a Penal Code was passed that decriminalized homosexuality in all Ottoman territories, including Palestine.[2] Although homosexuality was disapproved of by religious authorities, there is evidence of homoerotic practices occurring among the political elite in private.[3][4]
20th Century
1936
- Following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and under the British Mandate, the British Penal Code was adopted in Palestine, which criminalized male homosexual relations with sentences of up to 10 years in prison. This code remains in force in the Gaza Strip.[5]
1951
- After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the West Bank, under Jordanian control, adopted Jordanian legislation, which decriminalized homosexuality and established equality in the age of sexual consent (16 years). However, public activities related to homosexuality were prohibited, as they were considered "harmful to the high values of Palestinian society." Female homosexuality was never criminalized in Palestine.[6]
1994
- The Palestinian Authority, through a presidential decision, maintained the previous laws of the West Bank and Gaza prior to 1967. Consequently, homosexuality remained legal in the West Bank, while in Gaza it remained criminalized under the British Mandate law of 1936.[6]
1998
- A Palestinian national health program on HIV and AIDS was established, led by Dr. Ezzat Gouda of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, to address issues of sexually transmitted diseases.[7]
21st Century
2001
2002
2010
- A report by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) underscored and confirmed the partial legal status of homosexuality in Palestine: it was legal in the West Bank, but remained criminalized in Gaza. No civil rights laws protecting LGBT people in Palestine from discrimination were found.[1][activists in support of the Palestinian cause in 2011 in Canada]
2015
- In Haifa, Aswat organized the first Palestinian queer film festival, "Kooz Queer Fest." In that same year, Palestinian artist Khaled Jarrar painted a rainbow flag on a section of the West Bank wall in protest against the lack of freedoms in Palestine; the mural was covered up shortly afterward by another group of Palestinians.[11]
2016
2019
2022
- In October 2022, Palestinian police arrested a suspect in the beheading of Ahmad Abu Murkhiyeh , a 25-year-old Palestinian seeking asylum in Israel because of his homosexuality. At the time, it was reported that 90 Palestinians who identified with the LGBT community were living “as asylum seekers in Israel.”[17][18]