Dena, Queer Iranian Belgian Comedian

"When you hear labels like 'Queer and Muslim,' 'Queer-Muslim,' or 'Muslim who happens to also be Queer,' each one tells its own story. I’ve personally tried them all at different points, but now I comfortably land on the last two with a touch of playful irony."

Let’s not pretend therapy has a great reputation in South Asian households. For many of us, therapy is something “those people” do. It’s whispered about. It’s shameful. It’s indulgent. It’s a Western thing. And if you are in therapy? God forbid your parents find out. Remember that scene in Dear Zindagi? Alia Bhatt’s character breaks down in front of her family and admits she’s in therapy, and the whole room goes awkward-silent. That scene wasn’t fictional for many of us—it