As reported by blogger Beirut boy, Acid club “was ordered to close by the municipality following noise complaints from neighbors.”, according to Non-profit LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) organization Helem.
For those who don’t know, Acid is a gay club and has been open for years, even though homosexuality is illegal by law in Lebanon. As for the reason of its closure mentioned above, it doesn’t sound very reasonable as there are barely any residential areas around Acid. It could be as Angie stated an attempt to keep Lebanon’s LGBT community in the dark.
It is quite surprising to see the local authorities close down “straight” pubs in Gemmayze for the silliest of reasons while gay clubs are left open for so long. Only explanation is that there are “gay officials” keeping it open !
Nevertheless, Acid gay or no gay is a very nasty place and i am glad it’s closed now.
PS: There are 3 other gay clubs in Lebanon according to this website, Milk in Gemmayze, Wolf and Bardo in Hamra.
Thats what I was thinking, what neighbors, there isn’t anything around it.
I’ve only been to Acid a few times back when they first opened in 99 I think. It was pretty cool. Still, nothing beats Orange Mecanique in those good old days.
Orange Mecanique in Kaslik?? I think it’s still open or reopened.
I love the movie “Orange Mecanique” (Clock-work orange) but never been to the place.
Acid wasn’t that bad, I’ve been there a few times about 3-4 years ago, I remember the sound system was great and it didn’t seem too gay either.
Hmmm I know a few people who won’t be happy about this..from what I know a lot of people used to go there, both gay and straight..just to have a good time..Apparently it was one of the few places where people actually danced..I have yet to go, but I think ACID will be missed.
is it definitely closed for good?? or just for eid?
Acid was for everyone. It wasn’t officially a gay club. Popular amongst the gay community but straight people go there too.
Milk is a gay club in Saifi (take a right after basement before the kataeb). It’s a really cool place to go to if ur not homophobic coz it’s 99% male homosexuals.
Wolf is a gay bar in hamra. Too small worth mentioning.
Bardo is a great place that everyone should visit. Gays, lesbians, and or/straights. I love it.
There’s many more gay clubs… and several lesbian clubs that have not been mentioned here.
Acid has been open for many years now and officials have known what the place consists of, as they also know of the other places. I have always wondered why they never took action against these clubs, especially seeing that Lebanon’s becoming a gay haven for gays in the region. I personally do not have a problem with these places, but I’ve advised against public displays of affection, or being too open in the streets because sooner or later they no longer will turn the blind eye.
I doubt Acid will close for a long time… I’ll try to get the info and get back to u guys.
Every one has equal rights & I think LGBT have the right to have their own clubs.
I loved Acid club, the music is really great & it’s for everybody xxxxxx
Serena,
Its not about having rights or not. There are no rights for gays in the Lebanese laws. It’s crystal clear. You get 1 year in prison for being a homosexual and displaying it in public.
If they’re going to close Acid because of that, then they need to enforce it everywhere. Not only in the “gay” bars and clubs, because I’ve seen quite a bit of public displays of gays and lesbians.
This just shows how backwards Lebanon is becoming.
By law, no person can display any signs of public affection. Anyone can be arrested for just kissing their partner. It’s an old law that’s currently being ignored. Homosexuals should be provided certain rights in my own opinion.
The rumors I heard is that Acid was closed for drugs. It doesn’t make sense to me still. I’ve seen drugs abused in other places too!!
True but you are not jailed for 1 year if you do so. Homosexuality is specifically banned in the law and punishable by 1 year of jail.
Who cares about this law? There are a lot of laws that aren’t being followed in Lebanon, why should we care about this specific one? Because it involves gays and lesbians, and that makes certain individuals uncomfortable? What are we, one big homophobic community? People need to grow up and start using their brains.
Recently, I watched something on TV but I wish I can remember which station. They were going around asking people on the streets of their opinions of homosexuals in lebanon and their hangouts. I was surprised that the majority they did interview (people of all ages) that as long as they do their thing in private they don’t care. A few were disgusted by the thought of it. I have recently been open to the homosexual community in Lebanon (if you noticed from my reviews of the places) and I can see that there is a large community of Lebanese and non-Lebanese.
I think we’ve drifted off topic… is there any update on why it was closed down?
in my opnion acid contains a large and very important sound system in lebanon so i dunno why they closed it in addition im not a gay and i visit acidd alot of times :S:S:S:Sglad
quelle connerie cet article.. le gars est bien frustré, un bar Gay c’est là où il y a de l’ambiance.. il faut sortir un peu mon petit.. Essaye et dis moi..au Liban l’homosexualité n’est pas interdite mais un groupe de frustrés détourne la loi.. tout simplement car il ne sont pas bien dans leur slips..J’espère que ce n’est pas comme d’habitude, une personne mal baisée qui a foue le bordel..
A+
ACID was the best and only real “Club” in Lebanon. Huge dancefloor, killer sound system! Unfortunately only gays & lesbians enjoyed this great club…