ABSTRACT
Persons of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) face continuums of violence and discrimination in times of both conflict and peace. The risks of being subjected to violence depend in part on being ‘seen’ by others being non-heterosexual or non–cis-gender – regardless of how one thinks and feels about one’s own SOGIESC. The Syrian Civil War has greatly increased the risks of violence against persons of diverse SOGIESC in the country and led many to flee to the comparative safety of Lebanon and Turkey. In all three, however, they continue to face violence and discrimination by state and non-state actors, including security forces, family members, and civilians to differing degrees. Here, the chapter examines the role of visibility and its paradoxes, with a focus on men of diverse SOGIESC and trans women, as in our field research with Syrians of diverse SOGIESC, the risks of a man being seen as ‘soft’ and non-conforming came up repeatedly as a key risk factor. The chapter explores here some of the survival tactics employed, as well as the role of intersectional factors, in particular class.
