Surviving Homophobia: Raped by the Law
On that day, “A” didn’t know that his life was going to flash in front of him every day for the next ten days; he couldn’t even dream that his sick heart would bare all that pain.
Surviving Homophobia: Mere Survival
“M.F” was just a teenager that did not have enough knowledge when his mother asked him to get married before she died. He had just finished high school and wanted to continue his studies at the university, despite the rambling…
Relieved from Sectarianism
Although Homosexual are a part of the entire society, they also form a community of their own that have similar characteristics to other gay communities around the world. What distinguishes the gay community in Syria, and other conservative countries, is…
Double Life
Many gays do not consider their “double life” to be a matter of concern. We do what we wish to do in away from people, and pretend when they are present. We pretend until it becomes a second nature; not…
Several Gay Men Arrested in Beirut
On Tuesday, July 28th, Lebanese police closed down “Cinema Plaza” Movie Theater in the Burj Hammoud neighborhood of the capital Beirut. The movie theater, which is a known cruising spot for gay men, had been closed three times already. However…
Dad, I’m gay
I came back home one day after hanging out with my friends to find my father acting weird with me. I felt that something was wrong but I couldn’t really tell what it was. I tried to ask him, but…
A Missing Connection
“Being a girl is hard enough in this country, the way we’re treated on the streets or in public transportation… Now imagine that this girl is a lesbian! Believe me, it’s a living nightmare” an anonymous lesbian told Mawaleh. “On…
Tea Cup and Nuts
It was a fairly hot night. I was sitting in front of my PC alone, thinking about what I was going to write for the magazine. Along with many chaotic, random thoughts, I drifted away to a realm of imagination…
Mawaleh: The Story
Although no one in Syria is willing to call the current war a civil war, most Syrians have accepted the “war term” to describe the situation in the country. It is a war in which the Saudi-backed Salafists are becoming…
Mawaleh: The Risk
In a country under an ongoing war, where homosexuality is criminalized by law, where Fedaa Aietani was arrested by the rebels for writing what they described as “unbecoming of the revolution”, where Dana Bakdounes was verbally attacked and abused for…
Mawaleh: The Name
In Syrian dialect, Mawaleh means “nuts“. It is derived from “maleh“, which means “salty“. Choosing the name and the concept of the magazine was the most important task before starting working on it. People in Syria love nuts and enjoy…