With the afterglow of the papal visit, I thought I’d keep up the theme of loving one’s fellow man (and woman). Yes, even I — avowed atheist — enjoyed having the pontiff in town, for the same reason that I enjoy Christmas: I may not be a believer, but I love the mood that the holidays and this pope seem to engender and the message of peace on earth and good will to man. I mean, who can argue with that?
This week’s Portrait is Dr. Sa’ed Atshan, a visiting assistant professor of peace and conflict studies at Swarthmore. No slouch, the good doctor graduated from Harvard University in 2013 with a Ph.D. in anthropology and Middle-Eastern studies. He holds a master’s in social anthropology from Harvard, a master’s of public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor’s in political science and Middle-Eastern studies from Swarthmore. He is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University.
Atshan has also worked with a range of organizations that include Human Rights Watch, the American Civil Liberties Union, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Seeds of Peace International Camp, the Palestinian Negotiations Affairs Department and Medical Aid for Palestinians and has won multiple awards and fellowships from organizations like the National Science Foundation and a Kathryn Davis Fellowship for Peace. At 5:30 p.m. Oct. 13, he will present “Envisioning LGBTQ Rights in the Middle East” at the Penn LGBT Center, 3907 Spruce St.
PGN: So tell me a little about yourself.
SA: OK, I grew up in Palestine and I attended a Quaker school there called the Ramallah Friends School, which was established in the 1800s. I graduated in 2002 and then came to the states and went to Swarthmore College right outside of Philadelphia because of their Quaker connection. Then I went to Harvard and got a master’s in public policy, taught there for a while and at Brown and some other places and now I’m back at Swarthmore, which is pretty cool! Full circle!
PGN: Huh, I grew up near there but never knew that Swarthmore was a Quaker school.
SA: Yes, it’s actually non-sectarian but it was founded by the Quakers and we have a meeting house right on campus.
PGN: I hear so many terrible things about American evangelists spreading hate to other continents so it’s nice to hear that someone actually used religion to promote tolerance and peace.
SA: Yeah, the Quakers were in Palestine in the 1800s and they never promoted any kind of hateful ideology. They were also non-proselytizing; it wasn’t their objective to convert people. They just built a beautiful school for girls, which is now co-ed. When Israel was established, there were many Palestinians killed or displaced and the social-justice arm of the Quakers provided significant humanitarian relief. The Quakers are wonderful, they’ve always taken on social-justice causes.
PGN: Tell me about growing up in Palestine.
SA: Well, I didn’t have a conventional coming-of-age there because I got to go to the Ramallah School, which emphasized non-violence and social justice and the light of God in every human being. It was also very rigorous academically. It allowed me to escape from a quite-harsh reality and gave me hope and promise for a future. Living with a foreign military controlling your life doesn’t really do that.
PGN: Tell me a little bit about the family. What things did you like to do with them?
SA: I was very mature from a young age, so believe it or not I used to like to play school with my siblings and neighborhood kids. I would be the teacher. I also loved the theater, so that was a big part of my childhood. I watched shows both in English and in Arabic. As a family we are also into hiking. The West Bank is known for its rolling hills, lush and green with ancient olive groves — just breathtaking. Sadly, the number of hiking trails has greatly diminished over the years as a result of the settlements. It’s devastating.
PGN: I think most people here have a misconception of what it’s like in places like Palestine.
SA: Oh yes, most people think it’s all desert but it’s actually very Mediterranean. The climate is very similar to California. We have the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea, and rolling hills. It’s very diverse topography, very agricultural and beautiful.
PGN: You mentioned you were into theater. What was the first musical you ever saw?
SA: I remember being totally enthralled with “Oliver Twist.” [Laughs] I would run around the house singing all the songs.
PGN: What was an early sign that you were gay, other than loving musicals?
SA: Oh, that’s so funny. The truth is as an early adolescent I didn’t have the conceptual tools or the vocabulary to really understand who I was. I didn’t have any reference. I knew that I was different and not like the other boys but I didn’t understand what that was. I remember a school field trip that we took. The boys were distributing an X-rated magazine that someone brought, they were all getting worked up about it and I was totally repulsed. [Laughs] I just didn’t understand what was so appealing about all these naked women in crazy poses! But it wasn’t until I got to Swarthmore that I began to understand that there were different categories — gay, lesbian, etc. — and they were perfectly OK. But I didn’t really internalize it and apply it to myself in a loving and accepting way until I saw a movie — I don’t know if you’ve seen it — a British film called “Bend It Like Beckham.” In the film, the main character wants to play sports. She tries to break away from the expectations of her family and that really resonated with me because in Arab families there’s a lot of pressure, especially on the eldest son, to get married and have kids and follow a certain path. The film gave me courage and made me realize that it’s OK sometimes to be selfish, and think of what you want. Also, in the film her best friend is an Indian British guy who is gay. He says to her, “I really like Beckham,” and she says, “I know, I do too.” And he restates, “No, I really like Beckham.” And she responds, “But you’re Indian! How can you be gay?” I really resonated with that, because I’d never really seen representation of a brown gay person. For me personally, it also helped that he was attractive and non-stereotypical. It broadened my definition of what gay men are supposed to look like and act like. The film taught me two lessons: that it’s OK to challenge the expectations of your family and society and that gay people come in all types and colors. It really made a fundamental difference in my life.
PGN: What is the gay community in Palestine like?
SA: Well, over the past few decades the LGBT movement has really emerged. It has become quite formidable within Palestine civil society. The main organization is called alQaws, which means “rainbow” in Arabic. It’s been heartwarming to see the growth and how many people are involved with LGBT activism. alQaws has done an amazing job of bringing in other institutions like women’s and feminist organizations, and human-rights organizations as allies and providing services like hotlines, workshops and social events. There are also several artistic initiatives.
PGN: What are the legalities of being gay in Palestine and what are the realities?
SA: Palestinians in occupied areas are governed by two sets of law, one set being from the Israeli military and the other from the Palestinian authorities, who have limited power in the territories. Neither set of laws has anything on the books to criminalize homosexuality — unlike other Middle-Eastern, African or Asian countries where they inherited colonial homophobic laws; you know the British and the French brought significant homophobia with them, anti-sodomy laws, etc. Luckily in the Palestinian states, we don’t have those laws. But that doesn’t mean that the lives of LGBT people are not precarious. The Israeli military and intelligence groups have a history of entrapping LGBT Palestinians who are in very vulnerable positions and threatening them with outing. Across the Middle East there are underground LGBT communities, but in some parts it’s just horrible right now, like if you’re in Iraq or Syria, which is under ISIS. There are no words to describe how terrifying it must be to be LGBT. But other places it’s totally different; Lebanon has a huge openly LGBT population and when I go to Beirut, it’s exhilarating as a gay person.
PGN: Back to you: What’s a fun family memory?
SA: Have you ever seen the film “Caramel”? The film centers around a hair salon in Beirut where they specialize in waxing. My mother used to have these waxing parties with her friends with tea and music. I loved sitting around and listening to the women talk until they exiled me to the men’s spaces. [Laughs] I never wanted to go there where the men were drinking and smoking and talking politics!
PGN: Speaking of politics, one of the questions in your upcoming presentation is, “How does queer subjectivity differ across the incredibly diverse Middle-East and North-African LGBT communities?”
SA: We often forget that there’s a large range of experiences. On one side of the spectrum, you may be worried about receiving the death penalty or your own family killing you; these are very real concerns for many people. On the other hand are people who had my kind of experience. I came out to my parents in my 20s and they were very loving and supportive, as was my community. They are able to be totally out and be themselves and then there are all the experiences in between. We tend to hear only the extreme ends, which we need to hear about. It’s very important but we hardly ever hear about the good experiences.
PGN: What are some of the challenges for the LGBT organizations?
SA: So, part of what we have to do as LGBT activists is provide basic education, such as “I was born this way, it was not a choice” or that there is more than one theological interpretation of the Bible or the Koran and not all are antithetical to LGBT acceptance. There’s also the notion that being gay is a Western phenomenon imposed on the region and we have to correct that: No, there is a long history of LGBT people in the region and that we are organic parts of the social status here in the Middle East. Or even explaining that LGBT people don’t have higher rates of pedophilia than straight people and that it’s absurd that we get conflated or it’s assumed that if you’re gay you must have been molested as a child. A lot of myth-busting. That’s where the community-building we’re doing with other organizations and allies really helps the cause. So it’s not just us saying these things, it’s people outside the community too. And so many of our fights are inextricably linked — the fight for women’s liberation and the fight for Palestinian liberation. Some people tell us we should wait until we are free from the chains and shackles of occupation before we start talking gay rights or women’s rights but we’re like, no, one is not more important than the other.
PGN: What are some of the successes of the LGBT organizations?
SA: I’m especially proud of our hotline; it’s the only Arabic hotline in the region for LGBT people. Anyone can call in if they have questions or if they need a therapist or counselor or confidant. Navigating family dynamics or reconciling their faith and sexuality … it’s really heartwarming.
PGN: What about visibility? You mentioned how one movie helped you come to terms with who you are. Are there out performers or public figures?
SA: There was a lawyer who was part of the PLO who was very visible and openly gay. There are a lot of people in alQaws on the board, and members who are all openly gay and speak to the press regularly, and in Lebanon there is a band called Mashrou Liela, which is probably the most popular band right now among youth across the region, not just in Lebanon. The lead singer is openly gay and that has been huge! He integrates it into some of his lyrics. And of course the Internet makes a big difference with virtual communities helping support people everywhere. Believe it or not, satellites have helped quite a bit. We have a huge number of people who watch shows like “Will and Grace” and that’s how change happens, slowly but surely. I also think that positive developments in other places such as the Supreme Court decision in the United States are inspiring as well. On the date it was announced, a Palestinian artist went to the Israeli wall and painted a huge rainbow on it. It was very powerful and very courageous. Of course that goes either way; when people see people like Kim Davis, it can increase homophobia.
PGN: So let’s wrap up with some personal questions. Are you single or partnered?
SA: [Laughs] Oh! Do I have to say?
PGN: No, but I’ll have you know that one person who was profiled ended up getting married because someone read her profile and sought her out.
SA: [Laughs] That’s really beautiful and heartwarming! I read some of your columns and you do a great job but I never thought it would lead to marriage! OK, for the record, I’m single.
PGN: What would be a great first date for you: skydiving, movies, a musical?
SA: I would like to try sky diving sometime but for me I’d like to be able to talk to the person, so I’d prefer going out for a meal. I try not to have any preconceived ideas of what the person should be like. I just want them to be genuine and honest, not to feel like they had to play any games or try to impress anyone.
PGN: What was your favorite role as an actor?
SA: I loved playing Tiresias, the old blind prophet in “Antigone.”
PGN: Worst stage disaster?
SA: I was playing King Arthur in “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” and I was supposed to be serious but I kept breaking out laughing.
PGN: What’s a movie you could watch over and over?
SA: It’s called “Eyes Wide Open” and it’s about two Orthodox Jewish men and a love affair. It’s just so beautifully done, I could watch it over and over. Very powerful.
PGN: Your best birthday?
SA: My 27th birthday. I was home in Palestine and we went to a place called Snobar, which means “pine tree” in Arabic. It’s an outdoor club with a swimming pool and bar. It’s on a cliff that has 500 pine trees overlooking the city. The number-one Palestinian DJ spun for me and there were 400 guests! It was so much fun!
For more information about Atshan’s upcoming talk at the LGBT Center, visit www.sas.upenn.edu/mec/events.
To suggest a community member for Family Portrait, email [email protected].