Homosexuality is not illegal in Jordan, but society considers homosexuality a sin and advocating for LGBT rights remains a taboo in this Middle Eastern country.
With that in mind, Off The Record Productions has combined forces with a grassroots collective of people from the LGBT community in Jordan to host discussions and presentations within the LGBT community and shooting a documentary to use as an advocacy tool.
The project as a whole creates opportunities for people to encounter role models, talk about self-determination and educate each other about their rights and share ways to advocate for themselves. A first of its kind in Jordan, the project aims to re-imagine the narrative for this stigmatized community in Jordan by highlighting diversity, courage, resilience and celebration. The documentary will be used by groups working on LGBTQI rights in the Middle East as an educational tool.
Project results
- A documentary was made;
- The organization created a safe place to hold discussion meetings between different groups within the LGBT community;
- In total, 4 meetings were held with 6-8 community members each;
- Four parties with over 30 participants attending each event were held;
- A digital security expert was hosted to give key community members digital security training;
- A young women’s group was established, creating a public art campaign on gender equality and sexual diversity, billposted around the city of Amman;
- An interview with a former imam who fled Jordan to escape his family who was trying to kill him was held. His liberal religious view on homosexuality is a crucial element in the documentary;
- 11 interviews with inspiring and diverse community members were filmed, sharing their stories in the documentary;
- 2 participants gave a presentation about their experience as an Arabian queer to an audience of 50 people, at an event called Queer Provocations in Sydney, via Skype.
