Queer Habibi: Anonymity, Visibility, and Queer Representation in the Middle East — A 2019 Interview

This interview was first published in Minority Magazine in 2019. The content is preserved in its original form as archival material and reflects the author’s position at the time.

Since this interview, Queer Habibi has continued working on queer visibility in the Middle East and North Africa.

1. What mainly inspires you to do this work?

My project has been going on for more than a year, but the idea emerged much earlier, and I kept my sketches for a long time. Finally, in January 2018, I found the courage to publish them. There were many thoughts and challenges around how to draw and present the illustrations. I don’t have a formal education in art, so visualizing everything on paper was quite difficult.

First and foremost, I was inspired by moments from my own life and the stories of my friends. As you can see, the events in my illustrations mostly take place in Lebanon, in the city of Beirut—one of the most progressive Arab countries in terms of attitudes toward the LGBT community. There is a strong creative atmosphere there, and a certain degree of freedom is possible. Pride has been held there for the second year in a row. Overall, Beirut is a city that cannot help but inspire.

As for other countries, I try to travel and find inspiration. Very often, my followers also become my source of inspiration. There are more than 30,000 of them, and each has an incredible story. They share their stories with me almost every day.

2. Why do you keep your identity anonymous?

Unfortunately, due to certain circumstances in my life at the moment, I have to remain anonymous not only to my followers but even to my family. This is for security reasons and because of other fears. I hope that in the future I will be able to be strong and open.

3. Have you ever been to Baku? If so, could you share your impressions with us?

As I mentioned above, I try to travel a lot and read more about countries outside the Middle East and North Africa region, because the MENA region is actually quite similar in terms of traditions, religious dogmas, and many other aspects. I found it interesting to depict Azerbaijan in my illustrations. I think I could do this as a continuation of the theme of LGBT visibility in Iran and Turkey.

Your countries share many common features, both historically and in terms of the rights of people within the LGBT community. When I visited these regions, the situation felt similar for everyone living there.

4. How do you think your work influences the broader LGBTQ movement?

I don’t think my work can have any kind of global impact. I am simply an illustrator and do not act on behalf of any organization. However, judging by the messages people write to me, many say that I make LGBT communities in Eastern countries visible, and that this is important to them. These messages are very valuable to me, and I hope that the number of brave artists from different disciplines who address these topics in their work will continue to grow.

5. How do people react to your work on social media? Do you receive threats?

When I first launched the project, I experienced a large wave of toxic and negative messages. There were many complaints from religious individuals who disliked the landscapes in my illustrations. However, I want to repeat that I have no intention of offending anyone or hurting anyone’s feelings. I consider city sketches that partially include religious buildings to be part of the urban landscape—after all, this is architecture. I often want to mark and show a particular city.

At present, I receive a lot of positive feedback and comments about my project. This makes me happy and motivates me to continue!

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