SEEN

Policy Brief

Motivation:

Syria is an incredibly difficult place for LGBTQI+ people to make a life, yet there is little publicly available information detailing their daily realities, threats, challenges, and person al perspectives.

Objective:

This study aims to raise the visibility of LGBTQI+ individuals in Syria, to describe the challenges faced by this community so that those wishing to support them understand the key issues at play, and to provide tangible recommendations for advocates who can support the community.

Methodology:

We designed this study with a mixed-methods approach, administering both online surveys (136 responses) and semi-structured qualitative interviews (37 responses).

Limitations:

Because there was no way to randomise the survey sample, the results are not numerically representative of the wider population. Nonetheless, results are indicative of the dire challenges facing the LGBTQI+ community in Syria. In fact, the most important biases in the sample are toward more highly educated individuals and individuals from large cities like Damascus, Latakia and Homs. For many of the challenges highlighted, it is likely that they are even more widespread in rural contexts and where there is less education.

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Author

Cory Rodgers

Acknowledgments:

This research brief was produced through collaboration between Friedrich-Ebert- Stiftung (FES) and SEEN for Gender & Sexual Equity (SGSE). The perspectives presented here are those of the authors of the Out of the Shadows study and do not necessarily reflect the stance of FES.

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