(Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When he was growing up in a small Egyptian town outside Cairo, Omar began feeling sexually attracted to other men. Too afraid to talk to family or friends, he turned to Facebook for help, shielding his identity with a false name.

Scouring social media for information and advice is a common recourse for young men and women who think they may be gay and live in socially conservative Arab societies. But it can lead them to therapists, spiritual leaders and influencers promising to "cure the affliction" of homosexuality through so-called conversion therapy - practices that aim to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

"Facebook led me to conversion therapy, and I'm not alone," said Omar, 24, who only wanted his first name used because he lives at home and has not come out to his family.

Following its ban on content promoting conversion therapy, Facebook took action against several English-language conversion promoters. But Arabic-language conversion content still thrives on Facebook, where practitioners post to millions of followers through verified accounts. Not only do pre-ban posts advocating conversion therapy remain visible, but new posts continue to flood the site, and conversion therapists appear to promote their services freely.

"From our experience, these posts are almost never taken down, no matter what the rules say," said the executive director of one Egypt-based LGBT+ rights group, asking to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of its work. Read more via Reuters