Thank you so much for this compelling read. I lived for many years in Detroit and in consequence have a number of Lebanese American friends. One of my friends is a recently minted physician who grew up between Beirut and Jedda. He and most of the other younger Lebanese people I know are quite accepting of LGBTQ folks, but little things tell how they were formed.

My physician friend and I like to eat out, and he loves introducing me to different kinds of Middle Eastern cuisine. But he can get very nervous. I remember a time we were eating at a crowded Yemeni restaurant and I casually mentioned some item of LGBTQ news that had been in the papers that day. He flinched and looked around carefully, warning me to keep my voice down.

I said, "Man, we're speaking French. Nobody in here can understand us anyway." He just glared and shushed me.

That was in Detroit, where we could get back in his car, stream classical music, and forget about the incident.

I can't imagine having to live that way.