My debut non-fiction memoir focusing on intersectionality entitled Life as a Unicorn: A Journey From Shame to Pride and Everything In Between is published with 4th Estate (Harper Collins) in both the UK and US, and is out now. It is the winner of the ***2020 Polari First Book Prize*** and of a ***2020 Somerset Maugham Award from the Society of Authors***. The book has been celebrated by Ian McKellen, Russell T Davies, Joanna Lumley, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon and many others. For further information, please contact my Book agent Millie Hoskins at United Agents. You can purchase the book from all your favourite bookstores, listed here.
As a journalist, my main topics of interest are but are not excluded to: the history and legacy of queer culture; gender theory; drag; queering mainstream institutions; Left-Wing Politics; critiques of The Establishment; intersectional identity; co-option; activism; film; art-history; urban space; sexuality; sex, and psychology. I am a regular quarterly column with Attitude Magazine.
I have had work published in: The Guardian, TIME, The Independent, Newsweek, The i-Paper, i-D, Little White Lies, The Gay Times, Attitude Magazine, Vogue, HisKind, Hunger Magazine, The Inkling Magazine, HUCK Magazine, CNN, QX, ZED Books, Visual Verse, Saqi Books, BFI, Gay Star News, Cause & Effect Magazine and others.
I am currently writing my debut novel, the details of which will be announced soon.
Selected Works
Being a Drag Queen Saved Me - The Observer
This formula for good TV is the key to winning elections. As a screenwriter, here’s how it works - The Independent
Paris is Burning shows the seductive nature of inclusion - but queer people need more - The Guardian
How Ketamine infusion therapy changed my negative perspective - Attitude Magazine
The Physics that underpin the universe aren’t binary - Why would gender be? - Newsweek
Just like so many other forms of prejudice, transphobia is rooted in dangerous capitalist ideals - The Independent
The UK drag race is too diverse for RuPaul to turn it into a race for ratings - The Guardian
How Britain’s colonial past can be traced through to the transphobic feminism of today - The Independent
Blue Planet II could open our eyes to the possibility of a world where gender fluidity is normal and accepted - The Independent
I was transphobically abused and the other bus passengers did nothing - The Guardian
How my religion shaped my relationship with make-up - Dazed
Has Pride Month Become More About Distraction Than Inclusion - Vogue
Like many gay Muslim people, I have no faith in Pride - The Guardian
The many different faces of drag - Apollo Magazine
No, RuPaul, the drag queen world does not only belong to men - everyone can explore femininity - The Independent
As First Dates proved this week, it's hard to be a feminine gay man in the dating world - The Independent
I'm an Arab actor who's been asked to audition for the role of terrorist more than 30 times. If La La Land cleans up at the Oscars, I'm done - The Independent
How drag saved my relationship with my Muslim mother and made me fall in love again with my Arab heritage - The Independent
Victoria and Abdul is another dangerous example of British filmmakers whitewashing colonialism - The Independent
Theresa May has legitimised Trump's comments through her silence - The Independent
Isis murdered 80 Iraqis in a terror attack on Friday – but all anyone could talk about was Parsons Green - The Independent
Allah is a non-binary genderqueer being who loves me - Daily Mirror
The Politics of Peripheral Vision in Contemporary Cinema - Little White Lies
Over 300 people died in the horrific terror attack in Egypt. They deserve to be mourned, not used as political fodder - The Independent
The Genderquake debate did more harm than good for transgender people and for feminists - The Independent
Great Britain was never a white utopia. It's time to confront our real past - The Independent
Three Billboards is a lazy, problematic film which didn't deserve an Oscar nomination in any way - The Independent
Yes, there was some diversity at the Oscars. No, this isn't a sign that Hollywood has changed - The Independent
The BAFTA nominations are male, pale, and stale - The Independent
What I've learned from playing the queer Arab villain in a traditionally British Pantomime - The Independent
Everyone told me I wasn't a proper man - until I started dressing in drag - The Independent
When you're a queer immigrant Christmas can be isolating - The Independent
How film can help queer people grapple with their childhood trauma - Gay Star News
What speaking Arabic at a gay sauna in London made me realise about my identity - The Independent
When gay bars police what people wear, they exclude genderqueer bodies like mine - The Independent
Caitlyn Jenner doesn't regret voting for Trump and everyone's surprised because they forgot you can be transgender and rich - Independent Voices
Thank you, Kendall Jenner, for finally showing us minorities the solution to centuries of oppression in your Pepsi advert - The Independent
It's offensive to be constantly asked where I'm 'really' from and period dramas are to blame- The Independent
As a gay man born in Iraq, I know that western intervention is to blame for the murder of LGBT Iraqis - The Independent
As a British Muslim, I fear terror just as much as you do - The Independent
Forget the social media bubble – we made sure our voices were heard at this general election - The Independent
The Met Gala's 'Fashion and Religion' theme is going to turn into a colonialist mess of cultural appropriation - The Independent
Australia has voted in favour of same-sex marriage, but this is no cause for celebration - The Independent
Why I gave up speaking Arabic at the age of 13 - The Independent
As a drag queen who was raised Muslim I'm a right-wing meme maker's worst nightmare - The Independent
The Death of Spontaneity in the Gay Community - i-D
Mindfulness app 'Headspace' just made me more stressed - The i-Paper
Iraqi drag queen Glamrou: “Through my drag I’ve been able to fall back in love with my Arab heritage” - The Gay Times
Hidden in plain sight: How gay artists expressed forbidden desire in code - CNN Style
Straight white leftie people need to stop calling me a "Blairite" and saying that they love my queerness - The Independent
Not a single female cinematographer has ever been nominated for an Oscar, and it shows - The i-Paper
You're Cheap, Cheerful and Queer (and that's the Cherry on Top) - Zed Books
The queer tattoo artists reviving the craft's rebel roots - HUCK Magazine
As an Iraqi, I know there's nothing new about Trump's travel ban - it's been happening for years - The Independent
How can we combat the systemic racism of the tv and film industry? - i-D
A Queer Grinch: Why Christmas is the loneliest part of my year - HUCK Magazine
I am a British-Iraqi drag queen. So why do casting directors only want me as a terrorist? - The i-Paper
Drag in Unexpected Places - QX Magazine
The Summer I Became a Prophet - Visual Verse
The Crisis of Masculinity in Contemporary Cinema - i-D
The Problem with Straight Acting Gay Men - i-D
Drag Scene: New York versus London - i-D
Understanding what it means to be queer and Iraqi today - i-D
The hidden gems at the BFI's LGBT Film Festival - i-D
Queer and Muslim? Three films that explore LGBT Muslim experience - BFI