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educational resources to differentiate between the parties involved. So, in the end I did it, almost as an afterthought…It was a call to act and a wake up call. It must have been a daunting thing at the time and though I don’t assume it was easy, you did it with such grace and so powerfully. You ended up leading the charge in many ways. I was and am very fortunate, I have a family who
loves me unconditionally. I have the economic resources to be okay given my situation and a lot of people don’t have that. It wasn’t easy and I spent many days in bed and at one point was in crisis intervention counseling. The reaction was so negative and because of the fatwas and death threats that I was receiving daily, I did have suicidal thoughts. How terrifying. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for such a young man. I definitely had it easier than most. But, the real
legacy I inherited, was that I wasn’t a first. My grandfather [actor Omar Sharif] spoke out about religious tolerance in ’67 during the height of the Six Day War with Israel at the time he was dating Barbra Streisand. He received much of the same treatment and was forced to leave Egypt. I also had that example of my grandmother [Faten Hamama], who was sort of the leader of the women’s movement in Egypt and almost single-handedly got women the right to file for divorce from their husbands. She also received a lot of negative attention for that, from a lot of society at the time. But, for them, the end always justified the means. Looking back, they both did the right thing and never regretted it. So for me, it really is more about building on that legacy and was sort of a no-brainer, as far as stepping up and doing the right thing. That embodies one of my favorite quotes, by Jackson Brown, Jr., “When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.” Courage is about being truthful and taking risks and is part of why I do what I do, to shine a light on those truths. That’s why the work you do is so important too,
you are a voice for our community. I think about all the young people are reading what you publish, you really are doing that exact same work…It’s a gift. Thank you. I feel strongly that the conversations we have are vital, they certainly were for me as a young kid. Every time I read or saw something about an LGBT person back then, it was like someone threw me a lifeline. Without them too, the progress we’ve made can falter. Yes. I saw it happen in Egypt, so don’t think it
One of the scarier things is that progress can go backwards, the religious right does not give up and when they lose at home, they export their hatred abroad. You see many of them setting up shop in places
like Uganda and Nigeria and really being responsible
for the LGBT persecution in those countries, so it really is a global issue.”
can’t. One of the scarier things is that progress can go backwards, the religious right does not give up. When they lose at home, they export their hatred abroad. You see many of them setting up shop in places like Uganda and Nigeria and really being responsible for LGBT persecution in those countries, so it really is a global issue. In the end it’s not a religious issue, or even a regional issue, LGBT rights, acceptance and equality require a global effort. I read a piece in which you discussed your sexual- ity and how in the end it really wasn’t the point, that you were a human being first and foremost and this is about human rights. I see that you’re now involved with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. One, how does that fall in line with what you’re hoping to accomplish and two, how did you get involved with the organization? I’ve been good friends with Executive Director
Joel Goldman for some time and we did a video together when I was the national spokesman for GLAAD. They were celebrating their 30th anniver- sary, so with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, we partnered on creating videos for the community to remind people that AIDS is still an issue. We don’t hear about it much, but we are seeing large rises in infection rates again, especially in African American and Latino communities, particularly in the U.S. South. It’s a big thing in the Middle East too, because it’s still so taboo and unspoken. It goes untested, undiagnosed and untreated, so it’s personal and a really big issue for me. I bumped into Joel and he said that they were having trouble finding anyone to speak about it in the Middle East and he asked if I’d be willing to use my limited platform. There is a lot I don’t know
32 RAGE monthly | FEBRUARY 2018
to be honest, I don’t have a personal connection to HIV/AIDS, but I agree that it’s so important to talk about it still. One of the things people don’t realize, too, is that in the GCC countries (Gulf Cooperation Council), which is comprised of Kwait, Quatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia as well, if you are diagnosed as HIV positive you must leave the country unless you are one of their nationals. And, you are not allowed even as a visitor, to bring HIV medications into the country of Dubai. It’s an effort to curtail anyone who is HIV positive from entering the country. It’s also one of the regions seeing the most rises in new infections out of the global regions. Those things combined will very likely have devastating impacts, especially if we don’t start talking about it. Where would you say your passion lays? Is it more in activism, in your work as an actor, or do they carry the same weight for you? Acting is really what I’ve done since I was a child.
On school vacations, that’s where my family would send me, they would send me to a set, because they were all busy working. I do feel a certain responsibility to it because of that and to stay visible to be honest. And, since I am one of the only out Arab LGBT personalities, I feel there is a certain obligation to not disappear into the shadows. It’s a reminder to me that though we have come so far, there is still so much work to do. There is, everywhere and in the U.S., as well. The history of human evolution, it’s one of progress. At times we may take a few steps backwards, like for instance the dark ages, but ultimately, we keep moving forward.
For more of this interview, please go
toragemonthly.com.
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