Lessons from Movements for Rights Regarding Sexual Orientation in the Arab World

Controversies over rights regarding sexual orientation have been particularly contentious in the Arab world. But, while sexual orientation has been a flashpoint garnering media and academic attention, in fact such controversies reproduce political and intellectual debates over the legitimacy of a broad range of human rights that have taken place both globally and in the Arab world. These debates are particularly important in the wake of the Arab Spring, which has moved to center stage both movements for human rights in the Arab world and the political and intellectual backlash against such movements. In that context, questions regarding the source of human rights legitimacy have become particularly acute. Reflecting on controversies over sexual orientation, thus, gives a point of entry to thinking not just about the legitimacy of rights in that specific regard but, as well, the legitimacy of human rights writ large.