Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • The Guardian

    ‘They would smash your head to death’: escaping homophobia in the Middle East

    Youssef heard the shots that killed his boyfriend. Resettled in Australia, his is one of four stories told in a new documentary
    by Antoun Issa Feb 14, 2019 4 minutes
    ‘I was hiding all the time ... I tried to look straight’: a still of Youssef in Birds of the Borderlands. Photograph: Jordan Bryon

    “I tried to escape, and then one of them hit me. Hazem never allowed anyone to lay a hand on me.”

    Youssef’s breath shortens with each word, his face disguised from the camera as he relives the moment his partner sought to shield him from a group of men on a Baghdad street.

    Homophobic taunts and threats had become customary for Youssef and Hazem, but on this Saturday morning, in autumn 2014, the men who surrounded them were prepared for more. What began as physical intimidation quickly escalated to violence.

    “[Hazem] grabbed a chair and threw it at him,” Youssef says. “The

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from The Guardian

    The Guardian4 min read
    ‘Everyone Owns At Least One Pair’: $75bn Sneaker Industry Unboxed In Gold Coast Exhibition
    What was the world’s first sneaker? Was it made in the 1830s, when the UK’s Liverpool Rubber Company fused canvas tops to rubber soles, creating beach footwear for the Victorian middle class? Or was it a few decades later, about 1870, with the invent
    The Guardian4 min read
    Lawn And Order: The Evergreen Appeal Of Grass-cutting In Video Games
    Jessica used to come for tea on Tuesdays, and all she wanted to do was cut grass. Every week, we’d click The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s miniature disc into my GameCube and she’d ready her sword. Because she was a couple of years younger than m
    The Guardian4 min read
    ‘Almost Like Election Night’: Behind The Scenes Of Spotify Wrapped
    There’s a flurry of activities inside Spotify’s New York City’s offices in the Financial District. “It’s almost like election night,” Louisa Ferguson, Spotify’s global head of marketing experience says, referring to a bustling newsroom. At the same t

    Related Books & Audiobooks