This Arab Is Queer

This Arab Is Queer: An Anthology by LGBTQ+ Arab Writers

First edition cover
Editor	Elias Jahshan
Authors	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 Sinno Ahmed Umar Amina Anonymous
Language	English
Genre	LGBTQ+ anthology
Published	2022
Publisher	Saqi Books
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	Print
Pages	288
ISBN	978-0-86356-478-9
OCLC	1334646295

This Arab Is Queer: An Anthology by LGBTQ+ Arab Writers is a 2022 LGBTQ+ anthology featuring the memoirs of eighteen queer Arab writers, hailing from eleven Arab countries and the diaspora, some of whom are internationally bestselling while others use pseudonyms. The book is edited by Elias Jahshan, and was the finalist in the 2023 Lambda Literary Awards and Bread and Roses Award. This Arab Is Queer received critical acclaim for its portrayal of queer Arab experiences,^[1] with Time magazine calling it a "groundbreaking work".^[2]

The stories in the book celebrate the varied experiences of queer Arabs and challenge negative stereotypes often perpetuated by Western media. The book sheds light on the complex and nuanced experiences of queer Arabs, which go beyond state-sanctioned discrimination and family homophobia. Many of the stories touch on themes such as displacement, loneliness, coming out, and the importance of community. The book seeks to reclaim the narrative and allow queer Arabs to tell their own stories on their own terms.^[3]

One of the central themes of the book is the idea of intersectionality, or the ways in which different aspects of identity intersect and shape experiences of oppression and discrimination. Many of the writers in the book reflect on the complex ways in which their experiences of being queer and Arab are shaped by factors such as race, class, gender, and religion.