Palestine has been plagued with wars and conflict. Despite being recognised by the UN as a sovereign State with its capital being Jerusalem, the entirety of the Palestinian territory has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Nothing is easy in this country. And when you are different to what this conservative society sees as acceptable, that challenge reaches a whole new level.

Yet there is an openly queer voice leading the call for acceptance and change. Bashar Murad is a Palestinian singer, songwriter, and social activist based in East Jerusalem. His music talks societal norms, the Israeli Occupation, and LGBT+ rights in the Middle East. Murad’s music is rooted in social activism, and he used his music to overcome the pressure from growing up homosexual in an occupied territory.