Khalid Abdel-Hadi
Abdel-Hadi on the February 2014 cover of My Kali
Born
Amman, Jordan

Khalid Abdel-Hadi (born 1989) [note 1]is a Jordanian LGBT rights activist and model, best known for founding My.Kali, the first LGBT magazine in the Middle East. Abdel-Hadi was listed as one of The Guardian's "LGBT change heroes of 2017".[1]

Early life and education

Abdel-Hadi was born and raised in Amman, Jordan. His family has Palestinian and Kurdish-Turkish roots. Abdel-Hadi was bullied at school for acting feminine.[2] He came out to his mother at age 14, telling her he liked men; she told him he was "just yearning for a father figure".[2][3]

He graduated from the University of Petra in 2014.[4]

My.Kali

Abdel-Hadi was interested in magazines since childhood. He had attempted to intern at local publications, but was turned down for being "too out there".[5] In 2007, at age 17, he decided to found My Kali with some of his friends, with the aim of providing LGBT-related content.[5] On 30 October 2007, a local Jordanian publication, Ammon News, reported on its launch, reprinting My Kali's cover image of a shirtless Abdel-Hadi, though it identified him only as a "gay Jordanian teen".[5][6] This article was referenced by numerous publications, outing Abdel-Hadi.[5][6] At the time, Abdel-Hadi feared for his life.[5][7] Abdel-Hadi recounted this event for the 2022 anthology, This Arab Is Queer.

Art

In 2022, Abdel-Hadi co-curated Habibi, Les Révolutions de l’Amour, an exhibition of LGBT artists from the Arab world and diaspora, at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris.[8]

Modeling

Abdel-Hadi often collaborates with photographers and artists. In November 2017, for example, he was a subject for French photographer Scarlett Coten's series of portraits entitled "Mectoub" of young men from Middle Eastern countries. Coten photographed Abdel-Hadi wearing a black high-waist swimsuit and heels.[9]

In 2011, Abdel-Hadi angered many conservative LGBTQ Muslims by posing for a photoshoot in a speedo on Rainbow Street, Amman, with a mosque in the background. He later published a public apology for the shoot in Gay Star News.[10]

Personal life

Abdel-Hadi is gay and queer.[5][11] He is also Muslim.[11]

He rarely makes media appearances outside his own publication and those of people who are close to him,[12] and has said he dislikes being the center of attention and speaking in front of crowds.[2]

References

  1. ↑ The Guardian's report in 2017 stated that Khalid Abdel-Hadi was 28 years old, while Spiegel's report in 2019 mentioned that Khalid Abdel-Hadi was 29 years old.[1][2] Using The Guardian's information, his birth year would be around 1988/1989. Conversely, using Spiegel's information, his birth year would be around 1989/1990. Therefore, it is likely that his birth year is 1989.
  1. 1 2 Leach, Anna; Banning-Lover, Rachel (27 February 2017). "LGBT change heroes 2017: breaking through from oppression". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Tschinderle, Franziska; Secker, Bradley (2019-09-20). "Arabic LGBT Magazine: Breaking Taboos in the Middle East". Der Spiegel. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  3. ↑ Ways, Curious. "The founder of Jordan's first LGBTQ magazine on finding power in the queer Arab experience". HUNGER TV. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  4. ↑ "Khalid Abdel-Hadi". Framer Framed. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sawalha, Jawanna (2018-11-02). "How Jordan's First LGBTQ Online Magazine Began". Vice. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  6. 1 2 "افشال محاولة لإشهار اول مؤتمر أردني للشذوذ الجنسي "المثيلين الجنسي" في يوم الإقتراع للانتخابات النيابية". Ammon News. 30 October 2007. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  7. ↑ Edward, Siddons (25 May 2016). "the magazine queering the middle east". i-D magazine.
  8. ↑ "L'Institut du Monde Arabe presents Habibi, Les Révolutions de l'Amour". Say Who. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  9. ↑ Moroz, Sarah (10 November 2017). "Tattoos, satin heels and pet snakes: the men redefining masculinity in the Middle East". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  10. ↑ Abdel-Hadi, Khalid (23 January 2013). "Why I admit my Speedo shoot was wrong". Gay Star News (GSN). Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  11. 1 2 "My.Kali magazine: changing the perspective". Yalla! Let's Talk. 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  12. ↑ Sagui Bizawe, Eyal (20 June 2016). "The Jordanian Magazine Defying Stereotypes About Gays in the Muslim World". Haaretz. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
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