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Homosexuality in the Arab world could be a topic thus volatile that in some countries death is that the penalty. however gradually and very cautiously gay Arabs are initiating of the closet with increasing confidence. Spanning across twenty two countries with a combined population of 323 million, the Arab world is not only connected through its language but is also linked through various gay Arab websites, chat rooms, and blogs.

However, for gay Arab Americans, even though they live with much greater personal freedoms they typically still find themselves conflicted between their sexual, religious, ethnic/cultural and national identities. Meet Issam Khoury of Washington, DC and Ramy Eletreby of l. a.. They each are gay Arab men however every with a totally totally different path and background. but both men have a remarkable clarity and an agreement on the crucial problems which impact them the most.

Issam Khoury

A refugee by birth and by war, Issam Khoury has seen and experienced a broad cross-section of the planet. each of his parents were born and raised in Palestine but due to the politics surrounding the Israeli occupation, Issam was forced to be born and raised in Kuwait till the age of 13. "I learned what it meant to diverge in being in Kuwait as a result of as a non Kuwait you are continuously perceived different" he explains.

But when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, Issam's family was forced to measure in Cypress where Issam finished his schooling. once more he felt the unspoken words and perception of being totally different in another country.

As a youth Issam began to become a lot of aware of his burgeoning homosexuality. "I always knew i used to be drawn to men. I knew from the days after I was living in Kuwait that to me debunks the myth that a lot of Arabs would love to own that this doesn't exist in our part of the world because it does. once I moved to Cypress in 95' I found myself turning into sexually active and that is how I knew that this was here to stay" he reveals.

Issam later attended school within the US, first graduating from Virginia Tech, then onward to Ohio State to earn a masters degree and then forward to american University where he is currently earning a doctorate in cultural studies.

He admits that it wasn't until faculty that he began to become absolutely attentive to his identity as an "outwardly gay man and not someone who engages in sex with alternative men" he explains. In many ways his faculty years helped him to adopt a holistic identity that was associated with his sexual orientation, however this was only the first step.

He reveals that his journey still was "very tough because I even have no examples i do not have any James Baldwin's we don't have any Gloria Anzaldua's, we do not have any of those in the Arab community. There are gay folks out there and they're out and they are proud, but they do not write, they are doing not represent, they have not laid the muse for a community within the same way that american ethnic communities have had on varying levels."

As a result, Issam found nurturing support at intervals the African yankee community adding that he was "adopted" by many black people which "in the black community...I found my identity as a person of color.

I really found my identity as a gay man of color through reading E. Lynn Harris. I found it inspiring to examine men of color loving other men and color. I found my identity and what it could be to be in a very relationship with another man of color and how beautiful that would be and how celebrated that would be while not having to be ashamed of it."

In terms of his [www.ChatArabs.com chat for arabs] Arab identity, Issam says that he found his Arabic-self through his masters degree program at Ohio State where he studied Arab literature. He brazenly admits that he had a "big aversion" to white people when being called a "sand nigger, camel jockey, and towel head" during his faculty years. thus this new educational program gave him each affirmation and confirmation of who he very was, therefore casting away all labels and stereotypes.

"It was in my masters program that I found myself as an Arab man" he proudly states. However, the reconciliation of being Arab, Gay and Christian was still an extended, arduous and sophisticated process. after popping out to his folks, he we tend to went back into the closet for 6 years.

"It took plenty of internal work on behalf of me to merge my Arabic and my gay identities. It took lots of soul looking out, it took lots of research; delving into the difficulty of Arabic and gay but it's extremely slow. we've got lots issues of pride in Arabic community and pride is related to family honor and if somebody is gay then you shame family honor and thus these problems aren't widely talked about however mentioned in closed circles" he shares.

Because of his journey of transformation and reconciliation Issam decided to enroll in a cultural studies doctoral program as a result of he recognized that he belonged to too several numerous teams to limit himself to just one identity or concentration. "The u. s. thrives on identity politics; it is the capital of what I decision the check box on the application as a result of you usually ought to be one thing you mostly got to be categorized as something."

Further, Issam's own diversity and his need to learn about the range of others led him out of his personal check box. he's a member of a black fraternity and is currently learning to talk Spanish, all in a shot to broaden his exposure and understanding of culture and diversity.

Ramy Eletreby

Born and raised in sunny Southern California behind the conservative and affluent curtain of Orange County, Ramy Eletreby, who is of Egyptian descent, grew up the youngest of three children. whereas each of his folks were born and raised in Egypt, Ramy's perspective includes a distinct yank flair. He says that he was raised "conservative and Muslim" and that his upbringing has helped shaped him to where he's today.

Ramy's gay awakening truly began around the age of fifteen. He remembers attending a play in l. a.   that focused around boxing. during a locker area scene, one among the boxers truly showered on stage. it was Ramy's 1st time seeing a naked man.

"I was flustered and blushing and all that stuff and i simply knew that if I had a reaction like that it should mean one thing. I never had such a robust reaction of anybody like that. I could not avert my eyes but deep down I knew I mustn't be enjoying it."

Interestingly enough, Ramy did not act out sexually on his urges. Instead he went through a personal journey seeking to reconcile his sexuality along with his Muslim beliefs. "I went through lots of self exploration, a lot queries, and lots of confusion" he explains.

Similar to the path of the many different gays, Ramy eventually mustered up enough courage to start out commencing to his friends. after an eight year amount he had start to only concerning everybody in his life with the exception of his family, but that was on the brink of amendment during a very public means in the summer of 2005.

A budding actor,[www.ChatArabs.com Arab chat] Ramy decided to just accept a job at a Hollywood theater portraying a gay Arab. however bound Arab community groups discerned of the play and its gay content and began to protest. Meanwhile the LA Times bloodhounds sniffed out the story and surrounded down playhouse to do what eventually became a major news story about the play, its gay content, the controversy, and therefore the incontrovertible fact that its lead actor, Ramy was a gay man.

When the story hit, Ramy estimates it took four folks reading it before the news was promptly delivered to his oldsters. additional attention came when Advocate Magazine also did a variety on him. it was an extremely stressful and an emotionally raw time for him, however nowadays he's out to everybody and living his life authentically.

And after a few years of wrestling with both his spirituality and his sexuality, Ramy has finally found the peace that he's been finding out since he was fifteen. "I've just come back to the conclusion that not everything is perfect. This faith that i was raised in is not perfect" he explains. He adds that people who subscribe to a religious belief system should "apply however much you'll be able to apply to your life and since i know I cannot change certain facts regarding who i'm....if i select to have a religion like Islam it must be the maximum amount as I can take of it."

Today Ramy works for a gay publication in l. a.   where he says it has helped him to search out his gay identity. However, he sees no back and forth competing of his multiple identities of being gay, Arab, and Muslim. "I've never allowed it to be a fight; it's just part of my daily reality. i'm an Arab yankee who happens to be raised Muslim who considers himself for the foremost half Muslim however i'm an american who is of Arab descent."

He adds that [www.ChatArabs.com Arabic chat] "your identity is who you're at any given moment. there's never every day where i am not Muslim or do not not read myself as a product of Muslims. i am ready to go through on a daily basis and realize that parts of my identify are speaking up and how I can filter those to return to a focused stop process through any given situation."

Advice to Young Gay Arabs

While Issam and Ramy were able to move above and beyond the conflicts of their multiple identities, there are several different young gay Arabs who are still baffled by it and struggle with it daily.

Issam provides this piece of recommendation to gay Arab youth. "You are not alone, you're not the sole gay Arab person out there. you're not the only young man or young woman who's combating this. find where the parable is; realize the fact and where the two separate. Do your analysis. Dispel the myths for yourself."