With rising cynicism and hostility toward the LGBTQIA+ communities in 2023, Lacuna is highlighting the stories of queer communities. This Pride Month, it is critical to embrace stories of hope, joy, and solidarity in the wake of rising transphobia, homophobia, and intolerance across the globe.
With 53 percent of trans people aged 18 to 24 in the UK experiencing hate crimes and only half of LGBT people feeling able to be open about their sexual orientation or gender identity to everyone in their family, Pride Month is an opportunity to take stock of the tribulations and successes of the LGBTQIA+ movement.
From Birmingham to Barcelona, these stories document queer insight and resistance through art, literature, and protest.
These stories explore the connections and tensions between gender, religion, identity, and sexuality in an effort to promote an intersectional understanding of the struggle for LGBTQIA+ liberation.
From an outsider: The reality of being lesbian and Muslim
Protests in 2019 against Birmingham’s Anderton Park Primary School’s ‘No Outsiders’ programme raised questions about how Muslims and the LGBTQIA+ community can co-exist. Our writer’s life straddles that divide.
“I was a homophobic teenager before I realised I was gay”
After her last column on LGBT acceptance in schools was quoted in Parliament, Deenah al-Aqsa returns to reflect on a spate of homophobic hate crimes perpetrated by young people.
Anatomy of a Queer Arab Novel
Saleem Haddad’s debut novel Guapa tells the story of a young gay man coming of age in the Middle East, against the backdrop of political upheaval. In this exclusive piece for Lacuna Saleem discusses the process of writing Guapa and the complexities of queer lives in the ever-changing Arab world.
Hijab Butch Blues: Book review
The memoir Hijab Butch Blues sees writer Lamya H navigate hierarchies as a queer nonbinary Muslim. Fellow queer Muslim hijabi writer Deenah al-Aqsa reviews.
Six survivors remember Spain’s brutal anti-LGBT laws
Four decades ago Spain repealed the homophobic laws that branded LGBT people a “social danger”. Photojournalist Luca Gaetano Pira marks the anniversary by sharing the portraits and memories of six survivors.
The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs preaches to the choir, but still hits the right notes
In The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs, playwright Iman Qureshi uses the conflict and comic relief of a ragtag lesbian choir to ask important questions about inclusivity, safety and solidarity for queer women.
