The Best of Bekhsoos Comments!

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On account of our one year anniversary of the launch of Bekhsoos, we wanted to pay tribute to our readers who made our work worthwhile. We’ve compiled a list of comments that we have received on various articles that showcase the diversity of reactions and opinions of our readers. This list consists of our most inspirational comments at the top and then drizzle down to our more disturbing ones at the bottom. We’ve always tried to stay true to what Bekhsoos stands for, which is a space for discussion and to that end, we did not censor any comments even when they have been disrespectful, homophobic or racist. Enjoy looking back and we look forward to another year of agreeing, disagreeing and hopefully understanding.

Lemon November 29th, 2009 1:06 pm

Ms. Aphrodite just read this thing to me because I don’t read Arabic, I only understand it. Very nice & touching. I love the way you ended it & the questions it’s going to bring in people. While you were reading it, I was thinking about how people will react to it. The shock is there anyhow.
Whether they are happy for you or disgusted by you.
The ending is a sad one for the first group & a happy one for the second. As for me, I loved the story, the way you described “martik”. I imagined it in my head; there was happiness. I won’t say any more because the feelings I have are very personal & I’m not about to share them with the whole world.

b612 May 26th, 2010 11:53 am

Few events in my life have had such an effect on me that i said this: IM SPEECHLESS. so i wont elaborate on how much this piece touched me, i will say, thought, that i havent cried in a long long time and this article snuck in and poked the very nerve that feels the most There is more truth in that story than in most actual lives. Amazing, amazing job.

Editor January 12th, 2010 4:17 am

You know, Manda, it’s funny.. it’s the first time I realize that the word “bekhsoos” moshtaqqa min kalimat “khassa” – and there is a correlation between that and the name of our magazine.

shax 2010/04/16 at 4:51am

It is comments like these that really make the whole idea of a “community” of queers, to which I am supposed to relate as a queer woman, completely and utterly unfathomable to me.

Insider/Outsider, you don’t have to “scour the website” to find out why the event is zionist. It says so in the very first post on the very first page: “…panels discussions on LGBT culture in Israel and Zionist perspectives”.

At a very basic level, if you are, as you say, all for the Palestinian cause, then you would support the boycott of this event as part of the Boycott, Sanctions, and Divestment campaign against Israel which calls for the boycott of all cultural events sponsored by the Israeli government. If anything, attitudes like these show just how successful Israel has been in its strategy to use the LGBT angle to normalize itself as something other than the bloodthirsty settler state that it is. It is also a testament to the success of mainstream LGBT rights politics in the collective dumbing down and complete de-politicization of the queer movement for justice.

If you would like to read more about how you, as an LGBT person, are being co-opted by the Israeli PR and propaganda machine, I can point you to a ton of resources. You can read about how Israel uses LGBT issues for its own political ends here: http://shaxnjacksn.tumblr.com/post/525540001/a-recent-article-in-the-israeli-haaretz-newspaper

You can look at the “gay rights” posters distributed by the propaganda organization “Stand With Us”, funded party by the Israeli government: http://www.standwithus.com/FLYERS/?type=focus&wc=23 andhttp://www.standwithus.com/FLYERS/?type=focus&wc=13 How are these posters about the “freedom to be out”? The message that is being transmitted is “look, we have gay rights, so if we occupy and murder Palestinians it doesn’t matter because we treat our queers well. In fact, it is the Palestinians you should be demonizing, they kill gay people!” This is called “whitewashing”. Is it clearer now how this is not just about “being gay”?

The Israeli propaganda machine specifically courts LGBT people as potential allies to Israel – and they do this through events like Out in Israel. So yes, the event is zionist – and no it is not neutral or about “being gay”.

SH Submitted on 2010/05/11 at 1:23am

La7za ..
Is this true?
Are my eyes deceiving me?
Does my handle name now link to my articles?
Is it official?
I’m a writer?
*build up*
*build up*
*build up*
yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!

Wilypagan Submitted on 2010/05/17 at 12:38am

Excellent. The way things are going in California (with Prop. 8), I may soon be headed to Batroun.

Mir Submitted on 2010/05/18 at 1:37pm

SH, je suis entrain de lire ton article et ma mère est près de moi. C’est difficile de devoir minimiser la fenêtre à chaque fois qu’elle jette un coup d’œil sur l’écran, (et ton article qui est en arabe, elle aurait tout compris).
C’est hyper étrange ce sentiment : lire un article écrit par une autre tout en ayant l’impression de l’avoir écrit nous même. Et la phrase qui fait le plus mal :


شو زعلت إنو أنا امي، أكتر إنسانة بحترمها، عم تزغر ب عيني. Aie, ca fait trop mal, entendre ta mère dire son opinion négative sur les autres, sans qu’elle sache qu’elle est entrain de parler de sa propre fille 
Merci pour cet article, c’est tout a fait moi.

Wissam Submitted on 2010/05/18 at 9:07am

ok GIRLS I CRIED.. AND AT WORK.. THE FIRST STORY WAS THE TRIGGER THE SECOND ONE WAS TOO MUCH.. I HOPE THEY WONT SEE ME CRYING.. MEN DONT CRY U KNOW.

Emcee August 30th, 2010 4:27 pm

it’s interesting how the arabic word “النشوة” can in this case be more encompassing and descriptive than the english word orgasm, since unlike orgasm, “النشوة” broadly means ecstasy and is not restricted to the sexual climax…
ba3dein I like the parallelism you used in “ليس بالنشوة وحدها يكون الجنس”…
and my favorite quote which also happens to be one of my very own personal convictions: أرى كمال الإنسان بعدم كماله وبإعترافه بعدم الكمال… أرى جمال الجسد بشوائبه والعلامات التي تركتها آثار الحياة عليه. فما اجمل من جسد تكلل بمرارة الحياة وحلوها، واعطى للروح هذه الكهالة اليافعة التي تزيدها حكمة وطفولة في آن واحد hats off shoofs!

Zoë August 30th, 2010 1:03 pm

somewhere between rebellion and revolution.

I wouldn’t be doing anything thats over the top with my date anyway.. but I wouldn’t hold back if I wanted to hold their hand and I wouldn’t lower my voice when I have to say ‘gay’..

And whenever I do spot someone giving us a ‘disgusted’ look, yes I tend to enjoy their suffering and start to do subtle things to annoy them… but like I said, nothing over the top.

H September 3rd, 2010 1:07 am

While i disagree with what she said i understand homophobic comments and response in a non tolerant society like ours. Before we attack stangers i think we must admit the truth, that really hurts us, and that it’s the people we love the most (family, straight friends…) can be the most homophobic. In a society like ours there are even homophobic homosexuals who wouldn’t even dare to come out to themselves and live and die miserable a “”straight”” life.
Though i think we must fight homophobia, but i don’t think it’s done by attacking, judging and being angry at people, cz we must understand the reason behind their homophobia: it’s fear, igonrance, the way they been raised (brainwashed….), etc…
We are free, they are not. Those people are victims. They deserve to be aware and deserve to know that they have a choice, that everyone has a right for a choice. But if they choose to drown in their ignorance and be blinded by their brain-washed minds, then i pitty them.I don’t feel upset but pitty and I wnt need their acceptance.
We are free and they are not.

منى September 1st, 2010 9:09 am

شكرا لبخصوص اللي عرفتنا على مجموعة أصوات الرائع
وشكرا لأصوات على هذه المقابلة الشيقة تعلمت منها الكثير
كل الاحترام على نشاطكن وشجاعتكن 
وبالنجاح المستمر

Emcee August 30th, 2010 5:58 pm

“أرفض أن أخضع جسمي لتغييرات قاسية إرضاء لضيق أفق المخيلة الجماعية”
 What hurts us are the consequences of our need to belong and feel accepted in the environment we live in, a real and legitimate need, but one that can often be destructive.”
The drive to conform takes it’s toll on us, and sometimes we’re willing to make those sacrifices… but there may come a time when compromises are no longer satisfactory; when mediocrity becomes too burdensome… That is the time to rebel!

raphamahl August 30th, 2010 2:10 pm

good one! and i just don’t understand what gives people the right to just appear and write these cheap flimsy articles. imagine if we wrote one about boy george, using him as a way to generalise about the entire state of gays and homphobia in england.

i love butler August 31st, 2010 3:06 pm

seriously!

plus whats all this rubbish about reclaiming our past and our religions and situating our sexual practices amidst all that?
it’s like a really bad attempt at pop-sociology.
i dont get it! it’s like if im getting it on here there should be arches and minarets over my bed, and then when i take a flight to paris i should get a whole different railing. (mind the language)

Angela D. August 31st, 2010 6:13 am

“If you don’t understand feminism, you can’t fully understand sexuality, and if you don’t fully understand sexuality, you can’t lead a sexual revolution that will liberate the /Arab mind/.”

Simply genius. What a sharp and unpretentious letter. Other academics, (including myself) would settle for arrogant mockery, but you seek to build a dialogue. That is probably what is most beautiful about this team that writes for this magazine. You are such kind people, despite how cruel everyone is to you. Your kindness comes through in your writing. And by doing so, you are not only fighting for sexual liberties, that might be your main focus, but you are also setting the example for an entire generation that has forgotten how to be kind.

dima September 1st, 2010 12:04 am

there can be no post-feminism without a post-patriarchy

roubz August 5th, 2010 12:19 pm

بس بحب بلش وبوحي من كوكب الشرق ام كلثوم…
حب ايه اللي انت جاي تقول عليه ؟

انت عارف قبلا معنى الحب ايه ؟!!
وهو ليس من باب السخرية ابدا..بل اريد الجواب على السؤال المطروح في الرائعة الطربية !

carla August 8th, 2010 8:54 pm

انا بنت ترانس وحياتي كلها نضال من اجل ابراز انوثتي انوثتي مفهومها كتير شاسع بس هي بتعبر عني هي افكاري ثورتي صدقي طهري كرامتي شرفي احساسي انوثتي هي انا

فرح August 4th, 2010 1:33 pm

ياعيني شو هالصبايا وهالشغل الرائع

Q July 26th, 2010 10:28 am

love this! you have such a lovely imaginative sensitive mind. it’s so great that you’re putting it down on paper cause you do it so well. thanks for this.

tanzania July 29th, 2010 9:23 pm

Bellaaaaaaaaa… speechless!! you made us travel to Istanbul, see it through an artist’s eye & point of view..
pretty amazing how you got us to FEEL what you had felt there.. whether about Crea’s knowledge or all the others things 
you keep it up 
i strongly feel you will succeed in your anything and everything!!


jj June 29th, 2010 1:50 pm

thank god ur not dead!!!
mafi shi byestehal as carol sme7a says in her song “7doudi el sama”
dont put limits and ends to ur life bcoz of society which is also shapless as the dust.

miriam August 24th, 2010 12:56 pm

I’m reading this from my cell phone at work! Even with the tiny letters I was so overwhelmed! You are such a great writer! Looking forward to future articles.

Jay July 3rd, 2010 1:45 pm This was, well let’s just say this made me realize even more how gay I am  But no seriously, I think that this was a very interesting read, even for a gay man

فرح July 1st, 2010 4:53 pm

أخجل من ليل….يمر دون عينيك
!!!!!عنجد رائعة…..بتحكي اللي بقلبي

Mireille June 28th, 2010 2:25 pm

about the last news : soon in leb also, sa yatim tared kil l homophobic min l balad kariban jidan – tarakabou l khabar awal bi awal 3ala bikhsous *tatatrararammm* ( that was the cheesy music )

miriam August 24th, 2010 1:12 pm

Hahahaha awesome! Guys bkhsos is addictive I need to work! Loving the articles great selection of authors!

“Ana Shezzeh” Series

Roubz Submitted on 2010/05/11 at 1:45pm

!اانا كمان شاذة…شااااااذة

Zoie Submitted on 2010/05/17 at 11:14pm

انا شاذة… وانتوا كلكو شاذين واحد واحد وحده وحده… يلا نشذ مع بعض

wissam Submitted on 2010/05/18 at 6:53am

Ana SHAZZEH… bas kif heik ana rijjal. ANA RAJJAL SHAZZEH.

Racist/Homophobic/Ignorant Comments

THE Fucking GAY September 28th, 2009 9:13 am

Fuck you ” Haleim ” and “Meewm ” lets me see if u are talking about the freadom of press and the Freadom of expressing our slef if you gonna publish that! do u freaking GAYS and lesbo and faget respected your selfs when u publish the Fuck Artical …..
go fight for good reason , not of beaing Gays and lesbo , u guys gonna burn in hell for that
if u are sooo free open minded and talking about the freadom of press

Gary September 29th, 2009 12:32 am

Dear “The Fucking Gay”,
Considered what I’m doing as a public service to you. No one should be allowed to read your badly spelled comment so I decided to correct your spelling and who knows… Maybe one day you’ll be able to write properly!

“Fuck you ” Helem ” and “Meem ” let me see if you are talking about the freedom of press and the Freedom of expressing yourselves if you gonna publish that! do u freaking GAYS and lesbians and fagots respect yourselves when you published the Fuck Article …..
Go fight for a good reason , not for being Gays and lesbians , you guys are going burn in hell for that.
If you are so free and open minded and talking about the freedom of press.”

I also took the liberty of fixing some of your grammar… Best of luck to you “The Fucking Gay.”

jad January 27th, 2010 6:33 am

hey i am male bisexuel and would love to meet others mail can anyone suggest a place ??

roubz January 30th, 2010 5:08 pm

jad..3an jad !

smaao 2010/03/14 at 2:01pm

very beutiful if women can put a lovely sotyan for man . Lesbian women very sexy

71 / 712 795 Submitted on 2010/05/18 at 2:07am

i hate to heard that lesbian don’t make sex with men
i dream to have them in my bedroom

Accccccchhhhhhmad Submitted on 2010/04/19 at 7:29pm

You fuckers are a bunch of cocksucking israely spys making as if you like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in Lebanon I heard that muhamad was gay and he had two kids with his boyfreind enjoy the nuclear bomb that is surely on it’s way from us your cousins

Samer January 11th, 2010 7:34 pm

not convincing ..

ما ملاحظين أنو طريقة الكلام و النقاش غالبا عم تدور حول التلاعب بالكلمات و الالفاظ ,,
تماما متل التلاعب بالحقائق ..
إذا كان هناك ميل لاعتبار المثليين هم شيء طبيعي ,, فلماذا يتم دوما فصلهم بالمقالات هنا عن المجتمع؟
كثيرا ما تكررت تعابير مثل “المجتمع المثلي” و ” الحياة المثلية” و الشعائر و الطقوس المثلية … يعني هنا
اعتراف بأن المثليين هم جزء
منفصل عن المجتمع و مخالف له .. بل و معادي للمجتمع و لا يحترم تقاليده. بالمقابل كيف يطالب المثليين بنيل الاحترام إن كانوا هم أنفسهم
لا يظهرون هذا الاحترام للمجتمع؟
كل المقالات و الأفكار تهزأ بالمجتمع و بالناس الطبيعيين ..
تلاقي البنات السحاقيات .. قمة في الوقاحة و التحدي .. و على فكرة السحاقيات لما يحبوا قال بنات متلهم .. ما بيتغير
شي كتير .
يعني بيضلوا بنات و ما بتخف انوثتهم ,, بس الشباب لما يبحوا شباب متلهم ,, فبتتغير صفاتهم الذكورية ..
يعني في فرق بين الاتنين .. مشان هيك السحاقيات بيتكلموا من مبدأ اقوى من المثليين لانهم ما خسرانين كتير
بينما الشباب المثليين فبيكونوا محرجين اكتر انهم هيك
هذا هو السر وراء وقاحة السحاقيات برأيي

نصيحة Submitted on 2010/05/28 at 3:01am

الإشكالية ليست ليست في معاندة أمك أو المجتمع .. بل في معاندة خالق الكون والأم والمجتمع وخالقك .. أنت مريضة فاذهبي وتعالجي ليعود الحب طبيعيا ، فالله منحنا أحلى هدية وهي الحب وصنفها بمعايير تختلف حسب الوجهة التي يتجه الحب نحوها فحب الأسرة والزوج والناس ، كل له معايير .. ما أصابك هو اختلال المعايير فاتجهت من حب مشروع هو حب الصديقة حبا طبيعيا إلى حب شاذ مصيره نار جهنم لأنه وجهته وجهة خاطئة

name Submitted on 2010/05/11 at 5:24pm

what the fuck with the i love it comments…

how the bloody fuck can you love the fact that someone got HIV from a fucking bastard.
he should be brought to court and judged like a fucking murderer – least to say

Tags: appreciation, comments, discussion, Homophobia