Salman's Story
For years, even to myself, I denied the possibility that I was gay. That is because I live in Pakistan, and here, queer people are subjected to social stigma and prejudice. It is quite unfortunate. Being queer is not only frowned upon in Pakistani culture and society, it is criminalized by the government. Even our worst curse words are homophobic. Despite all this, after years of denying myself that I exist, I finally started coming to terms with my sexuality after my father passed away in 2015. That was the most painful moment of my life, but it pushed me to decide that I would no longer deny to myself who I was.
Following this decision, I started being more open about my sexuality — first, in secret groups, and then in more public spaces and on social media. I have tried my best to do whatever outreach I can. I’ve worked on building a queer network in Pakistani society, and on sensitizing the public to the existence of queer people.
I currently serve as the founder and editor of Queeristan, one of Pakistan’s only running queer magazines and online spaces promoting queer culture, art, and activism. The idea for the magazine dates back to 2017 — and although we were held back by censorship issues and concerns for the safety of those associated with the project, we were finally able to begin publishing in early 2019.
For more about Salman, follow him on Facebook, or find him on Contently and Medium.
Artist Notes
“Queeristan is the first ever online queer portal in Pakistan, which Salman started following his experiences growing up there as a gay man. So, the Queeristan portal is essentially a mother—a queer goddess to many. She accepts and embraces everyone as her own and tries to instil hope in their lives. A human figure is peeping into one of the eyes of this queer mother, which symbolises that one can get the necessary support and love they need while figuring themselves out. A second figure seems to be comfortably lying in her hair, meaning that the mother can offer comfort and safety when a person feels isolated. A third figure shown in yellow is half visible, because the portal is also a support system that helps others in coming out. The queer mother has her hair in different patterns of Zentangles, which symbolises a celebration of diversity.”
Published Jan 1, 2020
Updated Aug 22, 2023
Published in Issue IV: Activism