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Homosexuality in the Arab world may be a topic therefore volatile that in some countries death is the penalty. yet gradually and very cautiously gay Arabs are starting off of the closet with increasing confidence. Spanning across twenty two countries with a combined population of 323 million, the Arab world isn't solely connected through its language however is also linked through various gay Arab websites, chat rooms, and blogs.

However, for gay Arab Americans, despite the fact that they live with much greater personal freedoms they often still find themselves conflicted between their sexual, religious, ethnic/cultural and national identities. Meet Issam Khoury of Washington, DC and Ramy Eletreby of los angeles. They each are gay Arab men but every with a totally different path and background. but each men have a stimulating clarity and an agreement on the crucial issues that 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 globe. each of his parents were born and raised in Palestine however attributable to the politics surrounding the Israeli occupation, Issam was forced to be born and raised in Kuwait until the age of thirteen. "I learned what it meant to diverge in being in Kuwait as a result of as a non Kuwait you are invariably 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. again he felt the unspoken words and perception of being different in another country.

As a youth Issam began to become additional tuned in to his burgeoning homosexuality. "I invariably knew i was interested in men. I knew from the days after I was living in Kuwait that to me debunks the myth that many Arabs would like to possess that this does not exist in our a part of the planet as a result of it will. when I moved to Cypress in 95' I found myself becoming sexually active and that is how I knew that this was here to stay" he reveals.

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

He admits that it wasn't till school that he began to become totally responsive to his identity as an "outwardly gay man and not somebody who engages in sex with alternative men" he explains. In some ways his college years helped him to adopt a holistic identity that was related to 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 do not have any Gloria Anzaldua's, we don't have any of these in the Arab community. There are gay folks out there and they are out and they're proud, but they are doing not write, they do not represent, they have not laid the inspiration for a community in the same manner that yankee ethnic communities have had on varying levels."

As a result, Issam found nurturing support at intervals the African yank community adding that he was "adopted" by several black folks and that "in the black community...I found my identity as a man of color.

I really found my identity as a gay man of color through reading E. Lynn Harris. I found it inspiring to read about men of color loving different men and color. I found my identity and what it can be to be in a very relationship with another man of color and how lovely that might be and how celebrated that might be without having to be ashamed of it."

In terms of his Arab identity, Issam says that he found his Arabic-self through his masters degree program at Ohio State where he studied Arab literature. He openly admits that he had a "big aversion" to white people once being called a "sand nigger, camel jockey, and towel head" during his faculty years. therefore this new academic program gave him each affirmation and confirmation of who he really was, so 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 a long, arduous and sophisticated process. after popping out to his folks, he we went back to the closet for 6 years.

"It took chat for arabs a lot of internal work for me to merge my Arabic and my gay identities. It took lots of soul looking out, it took a lot of research; delving into the difficulty of Arabic and gay but it's extremely slow. we've a lot problems with pride in Arabic community and pride is related to family honor and if somebody is gay then you shame family honor and so these issues are not widely talked concerning however discussed in closed circles" he shares.

Because of his journey of transformation and reconciliation Issam decided to enroll in an exceedingly cultural studies doctoral program as a result of he recognized that he belonged to too several diverse groups to limit himself to only one identity or concentration. "The u. s. thrives on identity politics; it's the capital of what I decision the check box on the appliance because you usually got to be something you always ought to be categorized as something."

Further, Issam's own diversity and his desire to be told concerning 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 variety.

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 3 children. whereas each of his oldsters were born and raised in Egypt, Ramy's perspective features a distinct yank aptitude. He says that he was raised "conservative and Muslim" and that his upbringing has helped formed 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 centered around boxing. during a locker space scene, one of the boxers actually showered on stage. it had been Ramy's initial time seeing a unadorned man.

"I was flustered and blushing and every one that stuff and that i just 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 however deep down I knew I should not be enjoying it."

Interestingly enough, Ramy didn't act out sexually on his urges. Instead he went through a private journey seeking to reconcile his sexuality together with his Muslim beliefs. "I went through a lot of self exploration, a lot queries, and a lot of confusion" he explains.

Similar to Arabic chat the path of many alternative gays, Ramy eventually mustered up enough courage to start initiating to his friends. when an eight year amount he had start up to just about everyone in his life with the exception of his family, but that was near to amendment in a very public way in the summer of 2005.

A budding actor, Ramy decided to just accept a task at a Hollywood theater portraying a gay Arab. but bound Arab community teams got wind of the play and its gay content and started to protest. Meanwhile the LA Times bloodhounds sniffed out the story and surrounded down playhouse to do what eventually became a serious news story concerning the play, its gay content, the controversy, and therefore the indisputable fact that its lead actor, Ramy was a gay man.

When the story hit, Ramy estimates it took four individuals reading it before the news was promptly delivered to his folks. extra attention came when Advocate Magazine conjointly did an expansion on him. it absolutely was a very stressful and an emotionally raw time for him, but today he is out to everybody and living his life authentically.

And once many years of wrestling with both his spirituality and his sexuality, Ramy has finally found the peace that he is been finding out since he was 15. "I've simply come to the conclusion that not everything is perfect. This faith that i used to be raised in is not perfect" he explains. He adds that individuals who subscribe to a religious belief system must "apply but much you'll apply to your life and since i do know I cannot change bound facts concerning who i am....if i choose to possess a faith like Islam it must be as much as I can take of it."

Today Ramy Arab chat 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 a part of my daily reality. i am an Arab yank who happens to be raised Muslim who considers himself for the most part Muslim but i'm an yankee who is of Arab descent."

He adds that "your identity is who you are at any given moment. there's never a day where i am not Muslim or don't not read myself as a product of Muslims. i am ready to go through a day and understand that elements of my identify are speaking up and how I will filter those to come back to a targeted stop method through any given state of affairs."

Advice to Young Gay Arabs

While Issam and Ramy were ready 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 offers this piece of advice to gay Arab youth. "You don't seem to be alone, you are not the sole gay Arab person out there. you're not the sole young man or young woman who's scuffling with this. notice where the parable is; notice the fact and where the two separate. Do your research. Dispel the myths for yourself."

Ramy agrees adding that "the solely individual that you actually ought to listen to is yourself. you can not allow people that have taught you as a baby, or your folks, or relations, spiritual students, siblings, friends. you can not permit people to make selections concerning your life and what is right regarding you without you involved. therefore do not act outside of your best interest."