Summary
In this podcast episode, our discussion focuses on the Middle Eastern LGBTQIA+ diaspora community in London and the importance of creating safe, intersectional spaces. We discuss the unique challenges and experiences faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals from the Middle East and how these intersect with other identities such as race, religion and nationality. We talk about the importance of building inclusive communities that allow for a sense of belonging and acceptance for all members. The conversation highlights the need for ongoing efforts to support and uplift marginalised communities and the value of creating safe and welcoming spaces for those who are othered to come together, creating a sense of solidarity for our shared struggles.
About Golchehr
Golchehr Hamidi-Manesh is an Iranian queer feminist living in London whose academic interests in a deeply subjective manner are rooted in the intersection of migration, queer and feminist theories. Currently, academic-wise, she is surfing the psychoanalytical literature engaging with gender, sexuality and migration, and is growing a love-hate relationship with them, while dedicating her activism to collaborating with newly started campaigns of fighting domestic violence in Iran. She graduated from SOAS with distinction, completing an MA in Gender & Sexuality with special reference to the Middle East. Golchehr is a member of the social support network POA (formerly Pride of Arabia) and the collective Only Voice Remains.
References:
'In the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to Belong' by Amin Maalouf
Emmy Award Speech by Michaela Coel
'Barber Shop Chronicles' by Inua Ellams
Iranian 'Santur' music (سنتور)
Fesenjān walnut pomegranate stew
Further resources:
Only Voice Remains sonic project on NTS.live
'Do Muslim Women Need Saving?' by Lila Abu-Lughod
'You Have Not Yet Been Defeated' by Alaa Abd el-Fattah
'Territories of the Soul: Queered Belonging in the Black Diaspora' by Nadia Ellis
'Cruising utopia: the then and there of queer futurity' by José Esteban Muñoz
'Home and away: Narratives of migration and estrangement' by Sara Ahmed
'Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center' by Bell Hooks
'Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments' by Saidiya Hartman
'Guapa' by Saleem Haddad
'Sambac Beneath Unlikely Skies' by Heba Hayek
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