Zainab, an artist and a human rights activist who shows her support through her ART, believes there’s no better way to talk about issues than to talk about it through ART.
Colors and pictures, are a big reason for someone to pay attention, and to put problems in a frame, it makes it easier for you to understand.

What does Zainab know and thinks about the Libyan Queer community.
Here is the text of the dialogue

What do you know about the LGBTQ+ community in Libya ?

Because I don’t live in Libya now, I’m not really well informed about it, but I’ve met Libyans who have LGBTQ+ friends that are based in Libya, and also I receive a lot of DMS through social media asking me to spot the light about the LGBTQ+ issue in Libya, and I get a lot of tragic and sad stories that are being committed against the Libyan queer community.

Have you ever met any person within the LGBTQ+ community in Libya ? If so, how did that make you feel?

Of course I did, and I didn’t actually feel anything about it, I grew up knowing there is no harm with difference, that’s why I don’t remember having any doubts about meeting or being friends with someone queer.

Are you with the LGBTQ+ rights in Libya? If yes, how would you show your support?

I’m 100% with, I’d spot the light on the mistreatment the queer community in Libya is facing by spreading awareness through my ART speaking up the fact that queer people can be anyone, could be your siblings your relatives and that they live among us, and that they shouldn’t feel abandoned and scared because of their sexuality.

Do you consider your work place, a safe place for an LGBTQ+ person to work at or come out in ?

I don’t believe it’s safe for someone to come out in any work space, especially in Libya, their way of thinking and how they were raised makes it too difficult for someone to come out and just work normally, I believe they’ll either get fired or constantly harassed and bullied.

If you find out one of your family members/relatives is an LGBTQ+ how do you think you’ll deal with that?

To be completely honest, at first, I’m going to be worried and scared for them, for the family to find out, because I do know how they’d react to it, I might even stop them from coming out to the family out of fear that they might end up in a difficult situation, as for me, I’ll try my best to help them out, either by helping them to find a safer place, or by always being there, but I’ll never turn my back on them.

In Libya, the LGBTQ+ community suffers from all types of discrimination, religion because it’s forbidden, society wise because its a shame, and the law doesn’t grant or believe in their rights, do you think the awareness KUN is providing, will help and change the idea the anti queers in Libya have about the LGBTQ+ community?

Let me be honest here, from my own perspective, based on how I’ve seen Libyans think and see things, I don’t actually think they’re ready to accept anything that’s out of their comfort zone, because of what the Libyans been through in the past ten years, they’re all not doing very okay mentally, and they’ve became just defensive and aggressive towards anything new, until today they’re still fighting against each other just because they have different views, so imagine if you open up about the LGBTQ+ rights, something they’ve always hated, they may not have agreed on having one president, but they will agree on not giving the Libyan queers their rights, but I do believe that the awareness KUN is providing is very helpful for a better future, because what you guys do gives the same effect as a butterfly does to nature, it may be small but you can’t just not see it, so I do believe it’s very important but it requires a lot of work and patience.