This Arab is Queer

About the Book

This ground-breaking anthology features the compelling and courageous memoirs of eighteen queer  Arab writers – some internationally bestselling, others  using pseudonyms. Here, we find heart-warming connections and moments of celebration alongside essays exploring the challenges of being LGBTQ+ and Arab.

From a military base in the Gulf to loving whispers caught  between the bedsheets; and from touring overseas as a drag  queen to a concert in Cairo where the rainbow flag was raised to a crowd of thousands, this collection celebrates the true  colours of a vibrant Arab queer experience.

Contributors:

Khalid Abdel-Hadi, Amna Ali, Madian Aljazeera, Mona Eltahawy, Raja Farah, Saleem Haddad, Zeyn Joukhadar, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Dima Mikhayel Matta, Hasan Namir, Danny Ramadan, Tania Safi, Omar Sakr, Anbara Salam, Hamed Sino and Ahmed Umar.

About the Contributors

Elias Jahshan (he/him) is a Palestinian/Lebanese-Australian journalist, writer and editor. He is a former editor of Star Observer, Australia’s longest-running LGBTQ+ media outlet. His short memoir Coming Out Palestinian was anthologised in Arab Australian Other (Picador, 2019), and he has written freelance for outlets including The Guardian, SBS Voices and Jordan-based LGBTQ e-zine My.Kali. Born and raised in western Sydney, he now lives in London and is the social media editor at The New Arab.

Reviews

‘A heartwarming, moving and uplifting anthology that celebrates the true colours of the vibrant Arab queer experience.’
Evening Standard

‘A wonderful collection of stories, of people unshackled, of tongues untied. This surprising book allows the deliberately silenced and the preferably unheard to speak. Profoundly moving and uplifting. Yes, This Arab is Queer.’
Rabih Alameddine

‘Visionary. A powerful and moving portrait of life as a queer Arab.’
Sabrina Mahfouz

'If Jahshan’s anthology succeeds at one thing in particular, it’s that it shines a light on parts of the Arab world and its diaspora we don’t hear as much from.'     
TIME Magazine

‘I’m not sure if there’s ever been an anthology like this before — and it’s about time. [These essays] paint a wonderfully complicated portrait of the diversity of LGBTQ+ Arab experiences.’     
Book Riot

‘A vital addition to what it means to be Arab. This collection showcases the magnificent diversity and richness of Arab identity.’
Layla AlAmmar

‘A heartfelt, moving collection, unflinching in its vulnerability, courageous and empowering in its honesty. These writers hold our gaze, demanding to be seen, on their own terms.’
Yassmin Abdel-Magied

Awards

The Bread & Roses Award 2023 (Shortlisted)
→ Prize Website

35th Annual Lammy Award for LGBTQ+ Anthology (Shortlisted)
→ Prize Website