Illustration by Jaimee Lee Haddad/L'Orient Today
"I don’t know if I want to talk to you. The media destroyed my life."His greeting was quick and cold.In Room 634 of an abandoned hotel in Maameltein, near Jounieh, a young man with a tanned complexion slumped on the couch, slipping his feet out of his sandals."It’s the end of the month, and I’ve only made $50. That was two days ago. Some guy I met in a hotel," he said flatly. Then, as if anticipating the next question, he suddenly straightened up. "No, I won’t tell you what we did."The details hardly mattered. "What I see are the dollars."On his smartphone screen was a cluster of icons: Grindr, Massage Republic, Hornet, Rent Men — dating apps widely used by men in Lebanon to sell their charms, often for modest sums."Let’s say my name is Wael*," he finally said, staring into the...
"I don’t know if I want to talk to you. The media destroyed my life."His greeting was quick and cold.In Room 634 of an abandoned hotel in Maameltein, near Jounieh, a young man with a tanned complexion slumped on the couch, slipping his feet out of his sandals."It’s the end of the month, and I’ve only made $50. That was two days ago. Some guy I met in a hotel," he said flatly. Then, as if anticipating the next question, he suddenly straightened up. "No, I won’t tell you what we did."The details hardly mattered. "What I see are the dollars."On his smartphone screen was a cluster of icons: Grindr, Massage Republic, Hornet, Rent Men — dating apps widely used by men in Lebanon to sell their charms, often for modest sums."Let’s say my name is Wael*," he finally said, staring into...
