The Egyptian Queer Movement
The contemporary queer movement in Egypt gained visibility after the arrest of dozens of gay men in the 2001 Queen Boat incident.[1] This case was the first high-profile human rights violation of queer Egyptians in living memory for much of the country. Local human rights organizations began to acknowledge the persecution of the queer community and began to mobilise for personal rights and freedoms. Thereafter, many individual queer activists arose and some of them formed the first unregistered queer organization, Bedayaa in 2010. [2]
After the Arab Spring and the 2011 Egyptian revolution, the Egyptian queer movement began to expand. The revolutions increased both queer and heterosexual people’s levels of awareness, political engagement and reluctance to have their human rights denied. However, some queer organisations disappeared after the tightening of the public sphere and the targeted arrests of LGBTQIA+ people under the Muslim Brotherhood. In 2022, there are over 10 different queer groups and initiatives active in Egypt, in addition to several individual queer activists. Some organisations work quite openly while others are more low-key due to safety concerns.
Broadly the movement is trying to achieve social justice in the following major ways: community mobilisation, consciousness raising, increasing allyship and advocacy.[3]
Bedayaa
Bedayaa is an organization that works to promote sexual orientation, gender identity, freedom of gender expression rights in the Nile Valley area (Egypt and Sudan) and was established on July 14, 2010. Their vision is a society free of stigma and discrimination that respects the rights of individuals with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. Their mission is to create spheres for LGBTIQ+ community members in the Nile Valley area where they can share experiences and access legal and health services.[4]
Mesahat Foundation for Sexual and Gender Diversity
Mesahat, as it is often called, was founded on September 5th, 2015 to identify and reduce security risks and eliminate the social obstacles faced by sexual and gender minorities in Egypt and Sudan. They create the means and tools for queer activists to fight for their rights and dignity safely and contribute to creating well-resourced and effective queer communities. Their goals are to create queer-friendly safe spaces and rid the region of homophobic or transphobic violence and discrimination.[5]
Atyaf Group
A queer online media group that publishes news about LGBTQ people of all kinds in North Africa and the Middle East.[6]
Saloon
This queer social center established in Egypt in 2018 helps to create communities where individuals can share their experiences, present their work, network and receive support.[7]
Rainbow Egypt
Rainbow Egypt was founded in February 2012 and has activities for LGBTQI people online and on the ground.[8] They reach out to community members from different backgrounds, cities, regions, genders and sexual orientation.[9]
Rofouf
Launched in September 2020, Rofouf is an online queer library that translates queer novels from outside of Egypt into Arabic and helps produce original literary content for queer Arabic speakers while promoting queer Arabic literature.[10] They also review literary works that tackle issues related to sexual minorities.
Alliance of Queer Egyptian Organizations
Formed in 2017, this alliance of two queer organizations works on SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) rights in Egypt. Their work is mainly focused on international advocacy with allies and supporters.[11]
References
- ↑ Human Rights Watch (29 February 2004). In a Time of Torture:The Assault on Justice in Egypt's Crackdown on Homosexual Conduct (Report). Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ↑ "Bedayaa Organisation". Bedayaa. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ↑ Meawad, N (2020). "The Egyptian queer movement, struggles for recognition and representation". Figshare. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13356092.v1. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ↑ "About Us". Bedayaa. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ↑ "About". MesahatFoundation. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Home". Atyaf. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Saloon". Facebook. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Towards an empowered LGBTQ+ community in Egypt". Rainbow Egypt. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Rainbow Egypt". Facebook. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Rofouf". Facebook. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ↑ "The Alliance of Queer Egyptian Organizations". Facebook. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
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