‘The L in HELEM is for lebanese’: Diasporic LGBT+ activism and HELEM Montreal’s shifting temporalities

Abstract

Queer studies have often overlooked the intersections of queer migration and LGBT + activism. This article addresses that gap by examining the diasporization of Lebanese LGBT + activism through the case of HELEM Montreal, active since 2004. Using online ethnography and semi-structured interviews, it foregrounds NGO temporality — an innovation in migration studies — by tracing HELEM’s shift from fundraising to service provision for LGBT + Arabs in Montreal. The article explores the organization’s future, through the engagement with Canada’s refugee sponsorship program, critically analyzing the challenges of LGBT + Arab representation, queer Orientalism, and the commodification of asylum within Global North politics.

Keywords

HELEM Montreal LGBT + asylum activism temporality

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