What does it mean to grow up Somali, Muslim, and gay?

In this episode of Simspace, I speak openly about my experience navigating identity, faith, culture, and family expectations.

Growing up Somali and Muslim often comes with a script for how life is supposed to unfold. But what happens when your truth doesn’t fit that script?

In this episode I talk about the silence that often surrounds conversations about sexuality in our communities, the tension between culture and religion, and the moment seven years ago when I chose the truth about who I am even though it cost me my home and my family.

This conversation is about identity, honesty, belonging, and what it means to live authentically when the world around you expects something different.Real talk. No filter.

I announced this podcast with chest. Visuals done. Confidence loud. Energy high. And then I disappeared.

Not because I didn’t care. Not because I gave up. But because 2025 decided to test every area of my life at the same time. In this first episode of Simspace, I talk about what really happened during those eight months. The ego hit of announcing something publicly and not delivering. The relationship that humbled me. The rooms that stopped feeling safe. The identity questions people felt entitled to ask me. This isn’t a comeback episode.This is a recalibration.

Welcome to Simspace. Real talk, no filter.

Real talk. No filter.