Asifa Lahore Explained

Asifa Lahore
Birth Name:Asif Quraishi
Birth Date:[1]
Occupation:Drag queen

Asifa Lahore (born Asif Quraishi; 1982 or 1983) is a British Muslim trans woman who has been described as Britain's first out Muslim drag queen.[2]

Personal life

Brought up in Southall, London, Lahore is from a Pakistani Muslim family and has spoken about the difficulty in coming out to her parents when she was 23 years old.[3] Her parents first sent her to the doctor and then to their local imam. Lahore was coerced into a relationship with a first cousin in Pakistan in an attempt to change Lahore's sexual orientation. After six months, during which he sought counselling and assistance from LGBT groups, Lahore terminated the relationship. Lahore is a practising Muslim,[4] saying: "I go to the mosque. I fast at Ramadan. I've been on pilgrimage". She has said that her mother now watches and enjoys her drag shows.

In 2009, while still identifying as a gay man, Lahore entered a civil partnership with another man of Pakistani heritage in a large ceremony. In 2014, months after the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom, they converted their civil partnership to a marriage.[5], the two were undergoing a divorce by mutual consent.[6]

In May 2017, Lahore came out as a trans woman.[7] [8] [9] [10] In the same year, she commented on a then-recent wedding which was claimed to be the first same-sex Muslim marriage in Britain, saying: "I'm glad this young boy has declared so openly about his marriage, but [I] want him to know there have been others before him, and will be many more". In 2021, she spoke about being visually impaired.[11]

Career

Lahore became involved in drag in 2011, when she was 27 years old.[12] She says she was first inspired to embrace drag by her mother's elaborate saris.[13] Her performances often reference aspects of her Muslim culture. Those performances include wearing rainbow-coloured hijabs[14] and "a signature stripping act that features a burqa".[15]

In 2014, Lahore was to discuss her experience as a gay Muslim on BBC Three's Free Speech programme. This segment was not aired, following security concerns[16] and because the programme makers did not discuss the segment with the mosque in which the show was being filmed.[17] [18] In 2015, she featured in Muslim Drag Queens, a Channel 4 documentary film, narrated by Ian McKellen.[19] [20] [21] The programme was watched by over 1 million people in the UK.[22] In 2016, she featured on BBC Asian Network where she performed "Punjabi Girl", a parody of Barbie Girl.[23] In 2023, Darius Shu and Shiva Raichandani filmed Always Asifa, a TV documentary featuring Lahore commissioned by Together TV.[24] [25]

Notes and References

  1. News: Chaudhary . Vivek . 2014-10-18 . Asifa Lahore: My parents are traditional Muslims. It took a lot of courage for me to tell them I’m gay . 2024-01-24 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0029-7712.
  2. News: Martyr . Kate . Meet Britain's first Muslim drag queen . . 5 November 2022.
  3. News: Chaudhary . Vivek . Asifa Lahore: My parents are traditional Muslims. It took a lot of courage for me to tell them I'm gay . . 18 October 2014.
  4. News: Snowdon . Kathryn . Being Gay And Muslim Is A Natural Fit, Says Drag Queen . . 23 August 2015.
  5. News: Burgess . Kaya . 17 December 2023 . Muslim gay marriage is thriving, says drag queen . The Times.
  6. News: Gay Muslim weddings are 'much more common than people think' . . 19 July 2017.
  7. News: Semple . Ross . 'Muslim drag queen' Asifa Lahore comes out as trans . . 24 May 2017.
  8. News: Beresford . Meka . Muslim drag queen Asifa Lahore comes out as trans . . 27 May 2017.
  9. News: Asifa Lahore: What It's Like To Be An Out Muslim Drag Queen . . 24 June 2020.
  10. News: Douglas . Lucy . Hope 100: British Muslim drag queens smashing stereotypes . . 7 February 2020.
  11. News: Baldwin . Philip . Let's shine a light on disabled LGBTQ+ people . . 28 July 2021.
  12. News: Bugel . Safi . Britain's first out Muslim drag queen: Asifa Lahore is a proud clubland pioneer . . 6 September 2021.
  13. News: Goldhill . Olivia . My life as a gay Muslim drag queen . . 18 August 2015 .
  14. News: Burns . Amy . Muslim Drag Queens, Channel 4 - TV review: A touching insight into the life of Britain's first Muslim drag queen . . 25 August 2015.
  15. News: Winship . Lyndsey . 'Getting rid of the beard is a challenge': the secret world of Asian drag queens . . 24 April 2017.
  16. News: BBC Three show denies censorship . . 14 March 2014.
  17. News: Plunkett . John . BBC accused of censorship in row over Free Speech show from mosque . . 13 March 2014.
  18. News: Edgar . James . Mosque leader compares being gay to paedophilia and murder . . 20 March 2014.
  19. News: Hinde . Natasha . Muslim Drag Queen Asifa Lahore Fears Backlash Over New Channel 4 Documentary . . 18 August 2015.
  20. News: Sweney . Mark . Muslim Drag Queens activist voices fears of backlash over Channel 4 film . . 18 August 2015.
  21. News: Walker . Danny . Channel 4 delve into the world of Muslim Drag Queens . . 20 August 2015.
  22. News: Sweney . Mark . Muslim Drag Queens watched by more than 1 million on Channel 4 . . 25 August 2015.
  23. Web site: BBC Asian Network – Mim Shaikh, Asifa Lahore, "I'm a Punjabi girl, in a Punjabi world". 11 August 2016 . BBC.
  24. Web site: S1 E4 Queer Lives Today - Always, Asifa Together TV . 24 March 2023 . watch.togethertv.com . en.
  25. Web site: 16 November 2022 . Destigmatising Transitioning with Shiva Raichandani . 24 March 2023 . www.togethertv.com . en.

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