Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people living in Lebanon face discrimination and legal difficulties not experienced by non-LGBT residents.

Various courts have ruled that Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code, which prohibits having sexual relations that "contradict the laws of nature", should not be used to arrest LGBT people.

[2][3][4][5] Nonetheless, the law is still being used to harass and persecute LGBT people through occasional police arrests, in which detainees are sometimes subject to intrusive physical examinations.

In 2012 the ISF raided a cinema house that screened pornographic films in a diverse working-class neighborhood of metro Beirut, arresting thirty-six people for violating public decency and engaging in unnatural sexual behavior.

[10] On 11 December 2009, the Lebanon-based LGBT organization Helem launched a report that would target the legal situation of homosexuals in the Middle East and North Africa.

[11] In 2012, then Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi weighed in on the use of anal examinations on men accused of same-sex conduct, issuing a statement calling for an end to this practice.

[10] Local and transnational LGBTQ and human rights activists and groups launched a campaign against the use of forced anal examinations as tests for homosexual sex.

Also, the LPS stated that conversion therapy, seeking to "convert" gays and bisexuals into straights has no scientific background and asked health professionals to "rely only on science" when giving opinion and treatment in this matter.

In his ruling, Judge Maalouf referred to a penal code provision protecting freedom of expression, Article 183, which states that "an act undertaken in exercise of a right without abuse shall not be regarded as an offense...

Georges Azzi, executive director of the Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality, told the Washington Blade in 2017: "Homosexuality is technically illegal in Lebanon, however the new generation of judges are less likely to apply the law and the police forces will not reinforce it."

In August 2014, the Internal Security Forces Morals Protection Bureau conducted a raid on a Turkish bathhouse in Beirut, resulting in the arrest of 27 Syrians.

The Appeal Court agreed and found that consensual sex between same-sex partners cannot be considered "unnatural" so long as it does not violate morality and ethics, such as "when it is seen or heard by others, or performed in a public place, or involving a minor who must be protected."

"[23] On 24 June 2022, during Pride Month, the Caretaker Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi ordered the Internal Security Forces and GS to "immediately take the necessary measures to prevent any type of celebration, meeting or gathering" by the LGBT community following pressure by religious authorities in the country, while declaring: "This phenomenon [Homosexuality] is contrary to the habits and customs of our society" and religious principles, Mawlawi said, adding that "personal freedoms cannot be invoked.

"[28] This declaration of war was seen by Widad Jarbouh, a researcher and journalist at the Samir Kassir Foundation, as "politicians escaping from their responsibilities for the state of collapse that the country is witnessing at many levels, by targeting marginalized groups, including members of the LGBT community," referring to the ongoing severe Lebanese economic crisis.

"[6][7] In January 2016, the Court of Appeals of Beirut confirmed the right of a transgender man to change his official papers, granting him access to necessary treatment and privacy.

The group focused its efforts on reforming Article 534 of the Criminal Code so that private sex acts between consenting adults would no longer be a crime.

The inaugural Beirut Pride was planned for 21 May 2017,[38] but LGBT activists were forced to hold a private event due to fear of violence from police and radical Islamists.

On 23 August 2023, a Beirut drag show faced disruption by conservative Christians' homophobic chants, reflecting rising LGBTQ+ intolerance in Lebanon.

[46][47] On 1 September 2020, Martine Najem Kteily, the vice president for management in the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) said in an interview that the major Christian party endorses the abolishment of the Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code and supports the decriminalization of homosexuality.

"[50] In May 2016, Proud Lebanon, a Lebanese non-profit organization, marked the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) by launching a media campaign.

[56] Another 2019 survey found that 32% of Lebanese between 15 and 80 years had severe homophobic attitudes, with more tolerance correlated with knowing someone gay, university education, high monthly income, and higher problem-focused engagement.