Tarek Zeidan

Tarek Zeidan is a Lebanese sexual and bodily rights activist based in Beirut. He served as the executive director of Helem, a Lebanese LGBTQ+ rights organization, from 2012 to 2024. Following this role, he engaged in academic fellowships focused on digital rights and LGBTQ+ issues in the Global South. Zeidan has an academic background from Tufts University and Harvard University, and has previously worked with the Brookings Institution and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Education and early career Zeidan was raised in Beirut, Lebanon, and completed a Master in Public Administration (MPA) at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 2018, specializing in human rights law and advocacy. He also holds a Master of Arts degree in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Before his leadership at Helem, he managed regional communications for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) branches of the Brookings Institution and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Activism and leadership Zeidan became executive director of Helem in 2012. Under his leadership, the organization functioned as a legal aid clinic, civil watchdog, and policy research tank. Zeidan oversaw the expansion of Helem's community center in Beirut, functioning as a non-commercial drop-in and mutual aid sanctuary for queer populations in the region. During his twelve-year administration, Zeidan managed the organization's response to legal challenges, including a defamation lawsuit filed by the Lebanese Ministry of Interior and municipal bans against public gatherings. His tenure saw Helem coordinate strategic litigation addressing judicial interpretations regarding Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code. Following the 2020 Beirut explosion, Zeidan directed Helem’s emergency response to provide direct relief and housing aid to marginalized communities.

After leaving Helem in 2024, Zeidan became an Emerging Leaders Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership and an Emerging Human Rights Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University. He later joined the Program on Law and Society in the Muslim World at Harvard Law School as a Visiting Fellow for the 2025–2026 academic term. Zeidan's academic research concentrates on digital rights and the intersection of technology and human rights, investigating how artificial intelligence affects LGBTQ+ individuals in the Global South and the MENA region. He is a Ford Foundation Global Fellow and an Ashoka Foundation Global Changemaker, lecturing internationally on the integration of queer inclusion into global humanitarian aid frameworks.