AVENOIR ISSUE #2
Marziya Mohammedali fb: @kikeidotnet tw: @kikei ig: @kikeidotnet
by So p hi a Skea
The lack of LGBT+ representation in modern media is a flag which has been raised many a time, however there is a distinct lack of discussion surrounding the Western lens filtering queer portrayals we do see. When the majority of images we see are whitewashed, it can become easy to buy into the fiction that the LGBT+ community is solely comprised of fair-skinned, middle class humans bound to fall victim to romantic tragedy, or less specifically, that non-straight people do not exist outside of Western countries. The indescribably horrific Orlando massacre ignited heated, and often hate-fuelled, discussion around Islam and homosexuality, pouring gasoline over the Islamophobic bonfire already polluting our recent climate. Much of the world came together in grief, holding vigils and loudly condemning the fact that this level of gross intolerance still exists. Though many LGBT+ Muslims were forced to mourn in silence, hiding from a community seeking to blame an entire religion for one man’s atrocious act.