By: Lindsey Parnas
April 22, 2023
Frequently, Western arguments about the veil focus on hijabi oppression and their need for salvation with the research subjects mainly consisting of cisheterosexual hijabis. However, the rise of TikTok and online fora such as Reddit have resulted in increased visibility of queer or non-cisheterosexual individuals wearing the hijab. The inclusion of queer hijabis in popular culture results in different perceptions of the relationship between queerness and the the veil. Academic literature argues that Islam, the veil, and queerness are often perceived as signs of backwardness. Many people simultaneously see queerness and Islam (as well as the hijab) as contradictory. My research seeks to answer the questions: how are Islam and non-cisheterosexual identities seen as complementary or contradictory? How do people who are non-cisheteronormative and wear the veil perceive the veil? How do these narratives surrounding the veil defy Western narratives around veiling? Although there is little literature focusing on queer individuals wearing the hijab, this presentation will review the existing literature on how the queer hijabi experience is informed by class, citizenship, and family and the relationship between queerness and the hijab and interviews so far on the topic. For more on my research, see "Queering the Veil: Non-Cisheterosexual Hijabis and their Perception of Veiling and Queerness."
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H, Lamya. Hijab Butch Blues. New York: The Dial Press, 2023.
Moussawi, Ghassan. “Queer exceptionalism and exclusion: Cosmopolitanism and inequalities in ‘gay-friendly’ Beirut.” The Sociological Review 66, no. 1 (2018): 174-190.
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Siraj al-Haqq Kugle, Scott. Living Out Islam: Voices of Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Muslims. New York: New York University Press, 2014.
Lindsey Parnas (G’23) was a graduate student in the School of Foreign Service, pursuing an M.A. in Arab studies with a focus on intersectional oppression, trauma, and conflict. At the Berkley Center, Lindsey worked as a Doyle Seminars graduate academic assistant and a Doyle Global Dialogue (DGD) student assistant under Director of Student Programs Dr. Ryann Craig.
