We spoke to the founder of an Arab LGBT online magazine

Members of the LGBTQI+ community have always faced persecution, punishment, judgement, and harassment in countries across the Arab world. 

However, voices from within the community remain loud and clear in the face of injustice. 

One of these voices is none other than Jordanian Khalid Abdel-Hadi, the founder of My.Kali, an online magazine that "covers issues of alt-communities, gender and alternative art."

Abdel-Hadi and the online publication's team have been changing the narrative when it comes to the portrayal of the LGBTQI+ community in Arab media. 

Speaking to StepFeed, he told us more about My.Kali, its 10-year anniversary milestone, and its impact on society. 

Tell us a little more about My.Kali and how it launched 10 years back...

"The platform was informally initiated out of the need for expressing and belonging, the human need to simply speak one's truth and put identity in perspective. The whole thing started when me and a couple of friends at the time wanted to start a small publication on CDs for an event, and an extremist sensationalist paper found the cover (which I fronted at the age of 17/18) online and used it for an article to shame the local LGBT community in Jordan, outing me as an individual. 

I don’t think My.Kali had a vision or a goal or even a structure, it came from the natural need of voicing out the frustrations that comes with being a member of the LGBT community in the MENA region, without being politically correct."

What were the major obstacles you faced in the first few years after the launch?

You describe your platform as "non-political," can you explain more about why that is?

"Politics is in everything, you can’t escape it for sure, but we try to incorporate it in different ways, including within our visual work. We don’t think the conversation should start with politics, but rather with the society and from a social approach, as the most jarring stereotypes and molds are imposed on us by society rather than politics. With My.Kali, we want the conversation to start at homes, not domes."

In recent months, Jordanian MP Dima Tahboub launched an attack on My. Kali, filing a personal complaint against the platform. She also blocked you on Twitter. What was your reaction to that and how did you deal with and overcome the entire controversy?

"It was interesting to witness first hand how one would abuse the understanding of autocracy, how a parliament member was shunning members of society, while her job is to listen to members of society, regardless of their orientation, beliefs, and gender, and regardless of her personal opinion and beliefs. 

It was also interesting to look at some of her interviews, trying to read stereotype views of Islam and her perception of LGBT rights. (Dima previously posted a stereotypical image of two men from the west getting married, one man is wearing a suite, and the other is wearing a wedding dress and has a beard, asking the public on her twitter account if this is what they want to see in Jordan). 

It was also shocking how the media portrayed her as the hero who blocked the 'perverted publication,' when we were already blocked a year before this incident due to another government decision. However, we believe the conversation has to start somewhere, and it started with her. We saw it as an opportunity to address the matter with her, and as publicly as possible through an open letter, a collective work of the local (Jordanian) LGBT community." 

The common perception across the region always separates homosexuality and religion, tell us a little more about what it’s like being gay and Muslim?

"It’s such a big struggle to feel that God has turned his/her back on you. As religions and societies often demand that you don't brag about the 'mistakes' you have made, and that you don't take pride in your 'wrong deeds.' This is the message you're constantly getting, and you’ll be lucky if you escape and develop your own understanding of your religion and reestablish an honest connection between you, religion and God. Therefore, many LGBT+ individuals often feel the pressure to choose between their faith and their orientation." 

To many in the Arab world, queerness is regarded as an ideology rather than a identity, mainly one that’s imposed on the region by the West. What are your thoughts on that?

"Many do not differentiate between western agendas and culture imperialism, which could be a source of escapism and temporary relief, often met with cultural shocks, adorning western values and understanding. The subject of homosexuality has, in recent years, become a source of intense cultural contestations at a global level. These contestations are frequently understood as pitting Western against non-Western values, with the former seen as defending homosexual rights and the latter opposing them. This is a simplification, of course, and in some instances it is wrong. 

However, in recent years, activists and social workers in the MENA region have been claiming the Arab Queer Identity, rebelling against such ideologies, and liking our cultures just the way they are, and working on what we hate, within the context of our countries and societies." 

In a region where homosexuals continue to be persecuted, how important do you think "My Kali’s’" impact is on the community? 

"I think, we all want to relate to something, we all want to see something before us that can inspire us and spark something inside of us. I personally believe this humble platform has started something and reached people in that sense."

Speaking to StepFeed, a contributor at My.Kali, who chose to remain anonymous, told us more about how the platform impacted her life. 

"As Arab queer members of society, especially growing up in this society, we lack role-models, critical spaces, a community network, and representation. We have no one to measure our thoughts to, and nothing to compare our activities with. It is frustrating to try to relate to Netflix and Showtime queer shows and international bloggers but not be able to share and read about stories of queer Arabs and queer Muslims on a local level. 

MyKali is a small platform that is slowly blooming as we grow, but it is a space where one can read about, and in my case, proudly contribute to, our immediate reality without shame or fear. While the queer-Arab fight for equality, justice, and freedom has not yet matured, My.Kali offers a light at the end of that tunnel for me."    

Messages sent to a page on the magazine's official website also feature testimonies from tens of people who have come to view it as part of their lives. One of them reads: 

"I’m a lesbian living in Jordan. Just wanna say thank you a lot for this mag, it’s really wonderful. I am so happy, cause finally I found a lot of people who have the same orientation (same gender) mine. And My.Kali, it’s wonderful to give us the space so we can share our ideas, experiences, and secrets."

My.Kali marked its tenth anniversary earlier this year, what do you think is the most important achievement the platform has made across the years?

"I believe the main achievement lies in the sustainability of this platform, the communities built around it, its engagement with local and regional social workers, artists, activists and most importantly, visibility. In a region where we’re denied recognition, this platform isn’t waiting for anyone to provide us that, but claiming it and giving a voice to many. Personally speaking, I don’t think My.Kali has reached all its potential goals yet and therefore I would like to answer this question again ten years from now."    

What’s your message to young LGBTQI+ people across the region?

"Self-acceptance begets acceptance from others, which begets even deeper, more genuine self-acceptance."     

Where do you see My.Kali five years from now?

"A community-based platform that strengthens better understanding of matters on gender, sexuality and orientation. One that readdresses what 'LGBT+ rights' mean within the MENA region."