The Queer Arabs

Meet Ashley & Edgar, the co-hosts of La Gente Podcast!  Their podcast is a social and lifestyle podcast for POC by POC.  In this half hour, we covered a wide range of subjects.  We talked about unexpected aspects of podcasting that we’ve encountered (and the learning and unlearning that has come with that).  We touched on immigration-related policies and the damaging effects of separating families.  There is discussion about Pride and how its meaning has, in many ways, become distorted.  We even briefly talk about Mercury in retrograde and how that impacted our initial connectivity with one another.  It’s so…

حلقه ٢٦ بالعربي: الحلقه “الغريبه”. مقابله من جاد تانك عن تجربته مع الثوره في #لبنان Arabic Episode 26: The “Weird” episode. We talked to our returning guest Jadd Tank about his experience with the ongoing Lebanese Revolution. Listen to Jadd’s other episodes: Episode 12 in Arabic:  https://thequeerarabs.com/podcast/episode-12-in-arabic-conversation-with-artist-jadd-tank/  Episode 42 in English:  https://thequeerarabs.com/podcast/episode-42-jadd-tank-dancer-choreographer/  Outro audio is from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IBbqEPGsUk&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3DxER8NWjH5vF0tQgi4DhMZO-LfoOqHqkBKKCkFq49mi76DiClJRJWaT8

LebMASH, the Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health, works to increase knowledge and resources surrounding sexual health and LGBTQI+ health.  Its board of directors are located in Lebanon, Canada, and the United States. On Oct. 26, 2019, we (Nadia Khayrallah, Adam Elsayigh, and Alia) attended the LebMASH Halloween benefit party in NYC!  The three of us co-hosted what turned out to be a fun and informative episode. Points touched on include:   Resources provided by LebMASH, education (on issues such as STDs) needing furtherance in the SWANA region, stigmas affecting access to healthcare, and more.  The Lebanese revolution comes up in…

Times like these make us glad we aren’t on a network – we can title our episodes however the fuck we want. This is a very short episode but it’s packed with information; Ellie shares what it has been like preparing for surgery.  She speaks very honestly on this episode, and anyone wishing to learn a bit about the process can do so with this episode.  You can reach out directly to Ellie with further questions or just to chat: Insta – elliewantstoshitpost Twitter – EllieQueerArabs

Salon Al-Mahjar in NYC is a safe space for artists to collaborate and share their work.  This recording is from the sixth salon; artists who consented to being recorded are included on this.  The episode consists of clips of what the artists brought to this open mic, as well as a few conversations with people during the intermission. The artists featured are as follows; while crediting is important, so is privacy.  Artists who have written back to me with permission to use their full names will be listed as such; otherwise, first names will be used.  Some of the social…

Our featured guest of this episode is a mover in every sense of the word!  Anthony Nakhle, a professional dancer from Beirut and a world traveler, came on to talk to us.  It was an incredible honor; we (fellow dancer/choreographer, Nadia Khayrallah + Alia) got to discuss what makes Anthony most excited about his work, the training and dedication that has led him to this stage of his life, and more. Anthony began his training at Caracalla Dance School in Lebanon; he now teaches and performs in Lebanon and around the world.  To touch on just a couple of the…

Shamir, fellow introvert, exceptional singer-songwriter, and actor, joined Ellie, Alia, and guest co-host Miriam Hakim!  He also started his own record label.  After a brief Twitter exchange, Shamir was kind enough to sacrifice sleep (more than he already does) to talk with us!  The connection during the recording was instant – talking to Shamir felt like talking to someone we’ve known for a long time.  We discussed how gendered choir is, the significance of the dissonance-turned-harmony in Shamir’s music, and his upcoming tour with Sleater-Kinney.  We also got to talk about queerness, Islam, and the intersection of those two things. …

On this episode, we (Aminah Mae Safi and Alia) talked about the importance of seeing oneself in fiction, with an especially specific importance when it comes to people at a formative age.  Aminah, author of the young adult fiction books Not The Girls You’re Looking For and Tell Me How You Really Feel, is helping make that happen.  Both of us are mixed (with one Arab parent), and Aminah brings that needed representation into her writing.  There are also Muslim characters, and that’s something so beautiful to see as well.  The queer romance in Tell Me How You Really Feel…

This episode features guest Malika who researches violent extremism.  Malika discusses some of the various contexts in which people may gravitate toward extremist ideologies.  Spoiler alert: white supremacy is the biggest threat to the U.S. and is global in many aspects.

In this episode, Ellie and Alia discuss the impact Sept. 11 has had on them as Americans with ties to the SWANA region.