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Homosexuality within the Arab world may be a topic so volatile that in some countries death is that the penalty. nevertheless 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 is not only connected through its language however is additionally linked through varied gay Arab websites, chat rooms, and blogs.

However, for gay Arab Americans, even supposing they live with much greater personal freedoms they often still notice 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 each with a completely totally different path and background. however both men have a motivating 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 world. both of his parents were born and raised in Palestine however thanks 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 show a discrepancy in being in Kuwait because as a non Kuwait you are continually 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 completely different in another country.

As a youth Issam began to become additional alert to his burgeoning homosexuality. "I continuously knew i used to be drawn to men. I knew from the times after I was living in Kuwait that to me debunks the myth that many Arabs would like to possess that this doesn't exist in our a part of the globe as a result of it will. once I moved to Cypress in 95' I found myself becoming sexually active and that's how I knew that this was here to stay" he reveals.

Issam later attended faculty within the US, 1st graduating from Virginia Tech, then onward to Ohio State to earn a masters degree and then forward to yankee University where he is currently earning a doctorate in cultural studies.

He admits that it wasn't till school that he started to become fully conscious of 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 related to his sexual orientation, however this was solely the primary step.

He reveals that his journey still was "very difficult as a result of I have no examples i do not have any James Baldwin's we do not have any Gloria Anzaldua's, we do not have any of these in the Arab community. There are gay individuals out there and they're out and they're proud, however they are doing not write, they are doing not represent, they need not laid the inspiration for a community in the same approach that yankee 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 several black individuals 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 other men and color. I found my identity and what it can be to be in an exceedingly relationship with another man of color and how beautiful that could be and the way 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 folks after being known as a "sand nigger, camel jockey, and towel head" throughout his faculty years. thus this new educational program gave him both affirmation and confirmation of who he really 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 complicated process. when setting out to his folks, he we tend to went back into the closet for 6 years.

"It took plenty of internal work for me to merge my Arabic and my gay identities. It took lots of soul searching, it took lots of research; delving into the problem of Arabic and gay but it is very slow. we have lots issues of pride in Arabic community and pride is related to family honor and if someone is gay then you shame family honor and thus these issues aren't widely talked regarding however discussed in closed circles" he shares.

Because of his journey of transformation and reconciliation Issam set to enroll during a cultural studies doctoral program as a result of he recognized that he belonged to too many diverse teams to limit himself to only one identity or concentration. "The u. s. thrives on identity politics; it's the capital of what I call the check box on the applying as a result of you always got to be one thing you mostly have to be compelled to be categorized as something."

Further, Issam's own diversity and his need to learn concerning the range of others led him out of his personal check box. he is a member of a black fraternity and is currently learning to speak Spanish, all in an attempt 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 three kids. while each of his parents were born and raised in Egypt, Ramy's perspective contains a distinct american 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 [www.ChatArabs.com chat for arabs] truly began around the age of 15. He remembers attending a play in la that targeted around boxing. throughout a locker area scene, one among the boxers really showered on stage. it absolutely was Ramy's initial time seeing a unadorned man.

"I was flustered and blushing and every one that stuff and i just knew that if I had a reaction like that it must mean one thing. I never had such a strong reaction of anybody like that. I couldn't 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 private journey seeking to reconcile his sexuality together with his Muslim beliefs. "I went through plenty of self exploration, lots questions, and a lot of confusion" he explains.

Similar to the trail of the many different gays, Ramy eventually mustered up enough courage to start out taking off to his friends. when an eight year amount he had pop out to simply concerning everybody in his life with the exception of his own family, but that was on the point of change in a very very public approach within the summer of 2005.

A budding actor,[www.ChatArabs.com Arab chat] Ramy determined to simply accept a task at a Hollywood theater portraying a gay Arab. but bound Arab community teams known 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 regarding the play, its gay content, the controversy, and therefore the 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 parents. extra attention came when Advocate Magazine also did a variety on him. it was an especially stressful and an emotionally raw time for him, but these days he's out to everyone and living his life authentically.

And after a few years of wrestling with each his spirituality and his sexuality, Ramy has finally found the peace that he is been searching for since he was 15. "I've just return to the conclusion that not everything is ideal. This faith that i was raised in isn't perfect" he explains. He adds that individuals who subscribe to a religious belief system must "apply but a lot of you'll apply to your life and since i know I cannot change certain facts about who i am....if i choose to possess a religion like Islam it has to be the maximum amount as I will take of it."

Today Ramy works for a gay publication in la where he says it's helped him to seek 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 yank who happens to be raised Muslim who considers himself for the most part Muslim but i'm an american who is of Arab descent."

He adds that "your [www.ChatArabs.com Arabic chat] identity is who you are at any given moment. there is never each day where i'm not Muslim or do not not read myself as a product of Muslims. i am able to undergo a day and understand that elements of my identify are speaking up and how I can filter those to come to a focused 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 alternative 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're not the only gay Arab person out there. you are not the only young man or young woman who's fighting this. realize where the myth is; find the fact and where the two separate. Do your analysis. Dispel the myths for yourself."

Ramy agrees adding that "the only individual that you actually need to hear is yourself. you cannot enable those that have taught you as a baby, or your folks, or family members, religious students, siblings, friends. you cannot permit folks to create choices concerning your life and what is right about you without you involved. so don't act outside of your best interest."