I sat down with Lama (they/them) on Instagram live on August 2nd to discuss their approaches to solidarity and joint struggle work – and how they use their platform responsibly, to the same ends. They spoke about their poetry, which they have performed at rallies and actions for Palestinian liberation, and how they use writing to connect with themself. They closed out our conversation by sharing their thoughts on the role of art in movement building, and how they build their queer community.
More about Lama: Lama is queer Palestinian Egyptian who is engaged in organizing and activism. Lama’s activism focuses on QTBIPOC community and joint struggle. They are committed to social justice and liberation, and hold space on their social media for education, art and activism centered around Palestinian and QTBIPOC voices. They believe that art and language are integral to every activism movement – it is how we claim our narrative and our agency over stories. They are dedicated to sharing their queer Palestinian story and art wherever they go, as well as, creating and sustaining spaces where they can amplify and support other QTBIPOC folks’ work.
Lama is stubborn but very soft Taurus. Their friends know them as the parent, they have your back with snacks and space for when you just need someone to hear you out. To their family, they am the most active who will drag everyone on a walk and call in to make sure they ate something green. In their spare time, they enjoy hanging out with their friends, learning to skate, going on long walks and making people playlists.
I first found Lama’s page when a mutual of ours shared one of their posts about Palestine, and we’ve chatted a few times about their work, life, and important pieces of information to share – and I’m so excited to have them here today to continue the conversation!
Follow and Support Lama’s Work & Other work they’d like to share:
Instagram: @QueerPalestinian
Free weekly drop in: Lama hosts this event at 10:30am on Sundays for queer women, trans & nonbinary folks from the global south
Resources to support organizers working to stop the Line 3 pipeline project: https://ugrunna.carrd.co/
This livestream is part of my Pride Livestream series, where I’m highlighting different LGBTQ+ creators through interviews on my instagram account. The people I’ve spoken with are authors, creators, and artists, and I talk with them to share anything and everything that they’re excited to talk about with my audience, and encourage my audience to support them.