Memoirs by Lesbian, Gay and Queer Immigrants/Children of Immigrants
5 books by immigrants and children of immigrants living in Canada, the U.K., and the U.S.
We Have Always Been Here
Born in Pakistan, Samra Habib moved to Canada with their parents as refugees escaping persecution as Ahmadi Muslims. Growing into adulthood in Toronto, Habib went through two very different heterosexual marriages before coming out as queer. In 2014, they launched the “Just Me and Allah: A Queer Muslim Photo Project” which featured interviews with other queer Muslims. Their book “We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir” won Canada Reads in 2020.
A Dutiful Boy
Mohsin Ali Zaidi was born in England to Pakistani Shia parents. Growing up in a rough neighborhood, Zaidi prayed unsuccessfully for years for his gayness to go away. Leaving home to attend Oxford University, Zaidi began his journey toward self-acceptance. Facing the racism of the British gay scene on one hand while navigating varying degrees of acceptance among family members on the other, Zaidi built a successful career as a barrister and was listed in Lawyer Magazine’s Hot 100 for 2021. His book “A Dutiful Boy: A Memoir of a Gay Muslim’s Journey to Acceptance”, won the 2021 Lamba Literary Award for gay Memoir/Biography.
Hijab Butch Blues
Born in an Urdu-speaking region of South Asia, Lamya H (she/they) moved with her parents to an Arabic-speaking country where Lamya realized at age 14 that she was attracted to women. After coming to the U.S. for college, they found community with other queer social activists and connected with other LGBTQ+ Muslims. In her 2023 memoir Hijab Butch Blues, Lamya argues that the North American picture of an “authentically gay” life – coming out to family and partaking in gay nightlife – should not be used to judge the queerness of LGBTQ+ people from other cultures who have their own ways of being queer. They started a Quran study group that combines their faith with their radical politics. Hijab Butch Blues won the Stonewall Book Award in 2024.
Angry Queer Somali Boy
Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali was born in Somalia in 1985. At age 4, Ali was kidnapped by his father and taken to Abu Dhabi by his stepfamily, where he faced racism at school. They moved again to the Netherlands before settling in Canada. In his memoir, Ali shares the impact of his repeated displacements. Struggling with alienation from both family and society, he turned to substance abuse but also found allyship in unexpected places. “Angry Queer Somali Boy – A Complicated Memoir”, written while Ali was in a shelter for unhoused men, was listed on The Advocate’s “The Best LGBTQ Memoirs for 2019”.
In Sensorium
Tanaïs (they/them) was raised in the United States by parents from Bangladesh. The queer writer and perfumer founded TANAÏS, the beauty and fragrance company, to create fragrances unlimited by the gender binary. Their memoir, “In Sensorium: Notes for My People”, won the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction in 2022.