From day one at Women Deliver, my openness about being gay marked a first in my professional journey in global development. After spending over two decades in this sector, I know that we can and must do better at addressing the near silence on sexual orientation both internally as organizations and in our external work.
My identity as queer, an immigrant woman of color, and a Muslim deeply influences every aspect of my life. This intersectionality isn’t just a buzzword but a lived reality, forcing me to constantly navigate which facets of my identity to highlight in different contexts, whether personal or professional. It’s a relentless, exhausting balancing act, made necessary by the world’s limited understanding and appreciation of the richness and complexity of intersecting identities.
Coming out as gay isn’t a one-time event. It's a daily decision, a continuous negotiation about whether to reveal parts of yourself that aren't immediately obvious or to keep them hidden and avoid potential harm. It’s also very contextualized, and people who identify as queer can be very “out” in some aspects of their life while going completely back “in the closet” in others.