Clik here to view.
It’s not easy being gay
I am a male. I am a Muslim. I am a Pakistani and I am gay. I come from a deeply religious family, where everyone prays five times a day and reads the Qur’an every day. I came to the realization when I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why is Ultimate Spider Man black?
There is a new Spider Man in town, folks! His name is Miles Morales and he is part Latino, and part black. And apparently, Marvel Comics haven’t ruled out giving Spidey a gay future! Miles Morales, of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Real life lessons: How to drive away rishtas
Showing signs of puberty is all that a member of the fairer sex needs to land herself her very first rishta. Though some girls might love to bask in the glory of getting the most suitors without even...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Thank you Mufti Sahab, for helping me out of the closet
From every angle, I am your typical Pakistani middle class urbanite twenty-something. There is nothing about my mannerisms, wardrobe or grooming that differentiates me from anyone in my social circle....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Because I’m a lesbian
For 24 years, the horror of lesbianism haunted me. No, I don’t belong to an anti-religion, mod squad, liberal family. My family is as normal as any middle-class and religious family could be. After my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
No homosexuality in Pakistan, and other lies
While visiting Karachi University a few months back for a fieldwork assignment, I had a rather peculiar run-in with a group of clinical psychologists. All of them were involved in clinical and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Emo kids get shot in Iraq
So I was going through the news a couple of days ago, and came across a rather odd piece of news - ‘Iraq emo killings raise alarm’. The first thought in my head was "whoa, did they run out of bombs?"....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Politicising homosexuality: A make or break for US presidents
The president of the United States, dispelled all doubt his democratic supporters or republican opposition had earlier this month when he spoke in support of gay marriage in a televised interview with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘Don’t hate us, know us’, but PTA disagrees: Pakistan’s first gay website banned
If you’re happy and they know it, then you’re probably not clapping anymore. However, as your claps fade, you may hear the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority’s (PTA) celebrations begin. They stole...
View ArticleClik here to view.
I like Disney movies and Katy Perry, but I am not gay!
Since I was a child, I have been bullied and called names. People have always been cruel to me and it took me a few years to understand that I should not let it get to me. Growing up, nobody wanted to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Liberal India will not accept the SC verdict, we are not against LGBTs
Shehla Rashid cuts a lonely figure in the crowd of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community at Delhi’s protest street popularly known as Jantar Mantar. A student of sociology in a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Gay or transgender: A psychiatrist’s perspective on Uzma Tahir’s show “Khufia”
Aab Tak, a Pakistani television station started its transmission earlier this year with a strong statement, ‘Ladies, Gentlemen and She-males’ It did not take long for the station to air a sensational...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From pederasty to paedophilia and Freudian slips
A long time ago, a gay Pakistani I know asked me once whether the relationship between Rumi and Shams of Tabriz qualifies as paedophilia. I didn’t understand his question or the context of it because...
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘Ma kee kasam meri bhen hay ye’: I’m all set for Valentine’s Day
If the famous Bollywood song from Amar Akbar Anthony was made in 2015 in Pakistan, the lyrics would be altered to, “Taliban pyar ke dushman haye haye, Meri jaan ke dushman haye haye”. The war on love...
View ArticleClik here to view.
If you are gay and Muslim, “change your sexual orientation!”
I was shocked when I read the recent news story about a Muslim family living in Germany who wanted to arrange the marriage of their 18-year-old homosexual son against his will with a Lebanese girl. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ariba on the outside, Ahmed on the inside
Greeted by the waiter at a café, nervous yet anxious, I inquire about the girl I was scheduled to meet for an interview. “Ma’am, he is waiting for you upstairs.” The first thought that runs through my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
When did rape become the cure to homosexuality, India?
If you thought burning women, throwing acid on their faces, bombing their schools, shooting them for going to school, cutting their noses, shaving their heads, marrying them off to holy texts or...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My husband is gay – A difficult truth
Case 1: On her wedding night, *Hira found out that her new husband had a male partner. Her world came to a standstill. He told her not to expect much from him because he had no inclination towards her...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why your husband might be gay
Allow me to get straight to the point. Homosexuality exists, and contrary to the mass media being dominated by heterosexual affairs, the ubiquity of same-gender attraction cannot be ignored. Yes, we...
View ArticleWith Zidane back on the sidelines, will Real Madrid make the most of the...
For much of the 2018-19 season, Real Madrid’s campaign has been driven by pessimism and trepidation. From mediocre performances on the field to a lack of purpose off it, the Los Blancos found...
View Article