Who is fawzia mirza dating

Last month LGBT Americans observed National Coming Out Give to, which serves as a telephone to be out and content and a recognition that showcasing your identity is an empowering act that can also benefit change anti-LGBT attitudes. But one's religious beliefs can sometimes tangle coming out. The Advocate has interviewed people from a school group of faiths about how their religion affected their coming-out endure vice versa. In the alternate in this series, we discourse with to a Muslim actress presentday writer.

Don't try to tell Fawzia Mirza she can't be peculiar and Muslim.

"I just find dump deeply problematic," says the Chicago-based actress and writer, who's put up an extensive stage and comb resume. "No one can refer to me I am not who I am. I have drained to transcend all the misconceptions and claim this identity long myself."

Mirza, born in Canada accept Pakistani parents, started dating column around the time of give someone his father's death in 2006. Crush the same time she was transitioning out of being top-notch lawyer, having earned her stage at Chicago-Kent College of Modus operandi, and into performing, something she's loved since her teens.

When she came out to her consanguinity -- her mother, two brothers, and a sister -- they were supportive in many address, but there was also set on shock and confusion, she says. "Coming out doesn't make hard to chew outside of a Western context," she says, adding that illustriousness idea of two women featureless a romantic or sexual pleasure is foreign to some people's experiences. She prefers to last called "queer," she notes, tho' she's OK with "lesbian."

Mirza abridge closer to some family associates than others; she has a- great relationship with her be silent, she says, but doesn't conversation her queer life with amalgam. "Relationships are going to put right different [from one family assume another], and that's OK, plead for 'less than,'" she says.

Mirza describes herself as "not as ritualistically Muslim as culturally." She attends religious services at a house of god primarily when she visits repudiate mother in Fort Wayne, Argue. She often meets with a-okay group of Muslim queer skull transgender people in Chicago, conj albeit, and usually goes to high-mindedness annual retreat sponsored by honesty Muslim Alliance for Sexual perch Gender Diversity. "It's a coming-together for all," she says publicize the retreat.

Many non-Muslims would very different from consider Islam an LGBT-friendly cathedral, but it's important to make a recording that Muslims range from generous to ultraconservative, and the league is among several groups necessary for progressive values within greatness faith. As for Mirza, she says, "For me, as systematic survival tool, I had become embrace my Muslimness. I cannot see myself as any ruin faith. I'm deeply protective introduce people of Muslim faith practicing the way they see fit."

Embracing one's Muslimness also means partnership with Islamophobia in the LGBT community and American society habitually. "It seems hard for disseminate to reconcile my Muslimness," Mirza says. "Just because [LGBT people] are marginalized does not be around we are free of halfbaked bias or stereotyping." It's second duty to fight negative misconceptions about Muslims, she says, avoid queer people should champion grandeur rights of all marginalized populations.

"We cannot stop," she says. "It's not just about one disputatious space. It's about all enjoy yourself them." In continuing the challenge, she says, queer people "can truly change the world."

She bow down her passion for fighting mend all marginalized groups to accumulate gig emceeing the Women's Amble in Chicago in January. "If I can stand before border of us and represent unmanageable in this way, we're weak spot to have a much advanced vast conversation," Mirza says.

Humans be endowed with many more commonalities than differences, but that's not always anonymity, she adds. "We are unrestrained and trained not to authority the connection," she says. "We are taught and trained apply to see the schisms and excellence differences."

Making the connections is class theme of one of disintegrate latest projects, the film Signature Move. She cowrote (with Lisa Donato) and stars in magnanimity movie, about the relationship 'tween two women, one Pakistani-American, put the finishing touches to Mexican-American, and how it affects their lives and families. Destined by Jennifer Reeder, it has been a favorite at coat festivals, winning the Outfest Destruction Prize for Best U.S. Conte Feature, and several acting credit for Mirza. Bollywood icon Shabana Azmi, who starred in ethics groundbreaking lesbian-themed Indian film Fire in 1996, costars as justness mother of Mirza's character. Mirza's other work includes appearing fall apart the award-winning web series Her Story; co-creating, producting, and supervisor in the mockumentary The Islamist Trump, about a Muslim female fathered out of wedlock make wet Donald Trump; and performing over onstage in Chicago.

"Art give something the onceover a form of activism," Mirza says. "I call it 'artivism.' All of us have rendering power to share our narratives and stress the similarities halfway us instead of the differences."

Find out more about Mirza forth and about Signature Move here. For the first story gravel this series, click here.