Welcome to This Queer Arab Family Launch at Gay's The Word!

Join us on September 18, 2025 at 7:30 PM (Europe/London) for an evening filled with celebration and community.

We'll be hearing from the editor Elias Jahshan, alongside some of the featured contributors.

There will be books for sale, refreshments and more. We can't wait to see you there!

About the book

In Arab culture, tradition often dictates an individual’s role in a family, with personal desires subsumed in favour of unity. So, what happens when Queer Arabs challenge and re-imagine these expectations?

This Queer Arab Family celebrates the beauty of chosen kin and the everyday acts of care and survival that bind Queer Arabs to each other. Here, ten LGBTQ+ writers from across the Arab world and diaspora redefine what family looks like. From raising children with mum and mum, to becoming an OnlyFans star and building a non-binary belly dancing robot, these writers illuminate, through their own lived experiences, how queer joy and community can be found in the most unexpected places.

Fierce, vibrant and unapologetic, This Queer Arab Family honours the spirit of those who, despite challenges, build community and family on their own terms.

‘A stunner of a book … Building on the success of This Arab is Queer, Jahshan has gathered yet another extraordinary collection of essays with new depths and wonderful lyrical writing.’ Danny Ramadan

'A vital addition to the landscape of Arab queer and trans literature. May this beautiful anthology open the way for many more to come.' Zeyn Joukhadar

'Jahshan once again convenes a chorus of voices that ricochet across distance and difference with tenderness and power. A celebration, a protest, a love letter, and a reminder that we are never alone. A vital, heart-filled collection.' Saleem Haddad

'A breathtakingly beautiful book by one of today’s Queer trailblazers. This Queer Arab Family is a celebration of enlightenment, a torchbearer for total liberation and a vital act of defiance to the forces that attempt to tear our queer love apart.’ Dan Glass

About Gay's The Word

Gay's The Word is the UK's oldest LGBT bookshop and a touchstone for the broader LGBT community. The bookshop was set up in January 1979 by a group of gay socialists as a community space where all profits were funnelled back into the business. This ethos continues today with shelves bursting with books and the space used for book and community events, all stewarded by staff members: Uli, Jim and Oisin. Check out their website to learn more.

The Gay's the Word Pop-Up is ground floor level with step-free access. There is a bathroom which is located on the ground floor but please note that it is a thin cubicle toilet (so sadly not wheelchair accessible) with a 10 inch step. If you have any questions about accessibility please email gaystheword@gmail.com putting the words 'This Queer Arab Family Launch Accessibility' into the subject-header.

This Queer Arab Family Launch at Gay's the Word