Dubai- Masaader News
The transgender son of one of Egypt’s most famous actors is being sued for promoting homosexuality among young people after posting on Instagram in support of an LGBT+ activist who died by suicide earlier this month, according to Reuters.
Two Egyptian lawyers filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Noor Hesham Selim, son of film and television star Hesham Selim, after he posted a video on Instagram in response to the death of exiled Egyptian activist Sarah Hegazy.
“It is a conspiracy against Egypt to give up on our culture and morals and let homosexuality spread among young people,” Ayman Mahfouz, one of the two lawyers who filed the lawsuit, told Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone on Wednesday.
“Strict action” should be taken against people who seek to destroy Egyptian values and religious beliefs, Mahfouz added.
While homosexuality is not outlawed in Egypt, it is a conservative Muslim society and discrimination against LGBT+ groups is rife, with gay and trans people facing instances of assault and torture, according to Human Rights Watch.
Selim, 26, was thrown into the spotlight last month when his father surprised television viewers by speaking openly about his transition in the hope it would help change social attitudes towards trans people in Egypt.
Selim’s support for Hegazy, who was found dead in her apartment in Canada, where she sought asylum in 2018 after being jailed in Egypt for waving a rainbow flag at a pop concert, has triggered further upset among conservatives.
Selim, who was not immediately available for comment, made a second post on Tuesday saying that he was in poor mental health and the online criticism of Hegazy made him feel even lonelier.
Hegazy, 30, had been struggling with depression before her death, according to her lawyer.