Report Finds Arabic Media is Perpetuating Homophobia and Transphobia in the Region

August 30, 2017 - Today, OutRight Action International launches a new report titled, 'Arab Mass Media: A Monitoring Report Looking at Sexuality and Gender Identity in Arabic Media from 2014 to 2017.' The report is available in both English and Arabic.

The report monitors widespread local and national newspapers in 14 countries in the Arab region, radio, TV channels, and social media platforms to assess the current language journalists use to talk about LGBTIQ people and if the coverage is positive, negative, or neutral.

The report finds that currently journalists in the region often use derogatory terms that perpetuate homophobia and transphobia and reflect a wider poor human rights culture in the region. The report highlights evidence of hate speech inspired by religious doctrine, medical misinformation, and legal fallacies being used to describe LGBTIQ people.

Jessica Stern, Executive DIrector of OutRight Action International commented,

"All around the world the use of homophobic and transphobic language in the media has perpetuated prejudice and lies about the LGBTIQ community. We must work to sensitize the media and journalists in order to change negative public opinions about LGBTIQ issues and move towards respect, equality, and acceptance for all."

Some interesting findings of the report include;

Nazeeha Saeed, OutRight's Arabic Media Coordinator, noted that not all of the coverage was negative and said,

"While most of the reporting is very negative and even derogatory, there are a few noteworthy exceptions. For example, when media reported on singer Ricky Martin's engagement to a Syrian boyfriend, the language was surprisingly neutral. I think the reason is that foreign musicians and artists are given more leeway in society, and so the reporting also becomes more accepting."

OutRight has also develop a media training booklet geared towards correcting common misunderstandings about LGBTIQ people among Arab journalists and promote the use of more neutral terminology used by the United Nations to cover these issues. The training booklet is available in Arabic.


OutRight Action International

Every day around the world, LGBTIQ people's human rights and dignity are abused in ways that shock the conscience. The stories of their struggles and their resilience are astounding, yet remain unknown-or willfully ignored-by those with the power to make change. OutRight Action International, founded in 1990 as the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, works alongside LGBTIQ people in the Global South, with offices in six countries, to help identify community-focused solutions to promote policy for lasting change. We vigilantly monitor and document human rights abuses to spur action when they occur. We train partners to expose abuses and advocate for themselves. Headquartered in New York City, OutRight is the only global LGBTIQ-specific organization with a permanent presence at the United Nations in New York that advocates for human rights progress for LGBTIQ people.

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