By
Daily Mail Repoter
|
Muslim drag queen Asifa Lahore is already a prominent figure on the LGBT (lesbian gay, bisexual and transgender) circuit.
The British Pakistani drag artist regularly appears on the cabaret and club scene and makes glamorous music videos, often with a comedy edge.
However, he raised a serious question at a debate being recorded for BBC Three show Free Speech live at Birmingham Central Mosque, which was: ‘When will it be ok to be gay and Muslim?’
Asifa Lahore is a prominent drag queen on the LGBT circuit but his views were banned from being discussed in a mosque
The audience were not given
the chance to debate the question and, according to the Independent newspaper, Rick
Edwards, the presenter of Free Speech, told the audience: ‘We were going
to debate that question but today after speaking to the mosque they
have expressed deep concerns with having this discussion here… so
we’ll move on to our next question.’
He
added that the subject would be addressed in the next edition of the
programme, which is made by Mentorn Media, the makers of Question Time.
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
Asifa Lahore, without his drag queen make-up, asked ‘when will it be accepted to be gay and Muslim’
The
decision drew angry responses on social media from viewers of a show
which boasts on its website of its determination not ignore taboo
subjects or be censored.
‘Britain is a democracy where we can say what we want. So let’s say it,’ is its slogan.
Blogger Raheem Kassam, of website
Breitbart London described it as ‘an excellent example of how and why
the BBC fails to do its job properly’, while Stephen Evans, of the
National Secular Society, said: ‘After agreeing to allow a programme
called Free Speech to be filmed at the Mosque, it is absurd and
counterproductive to then censor the topic being discussed.’
Asifa in a video made for BBC Three
In
a statement, the BBC said: ‘BBC’s Free Speech is determined to discuss
the issues that matter to its viewers. However, out of respect to the
Birmingham Central Mosque, who hosted the programme, the decision was
made to delay the debate on Muslim gay rights to a future programme. The
topic will be raised and debated in full in the edition of Free Speech
airing on 25 March.’
The debate will take place in a non-religious setting at the Broadwater Farm estate in Tottenham, north London.
Asifa Lahore wants to make a serious music video highlighting the issue of sexuality within Asian and black communities
Asifa Lahore appearing in the video that was played as part of his debate on BBC show Free Speech
Lahore is seen as a global pioneer among the ‘Gaysian’ community and a highly visible role model for the new generation of London drag queens.
He is also a proud Muslim – and, unlike some, believes his lifestyle and religion are not incompatible.
In an interview he told the Huffington Post
he is ‘a self-proclaimed curry queen, performer, hostess and DJ, mixing
together elements of my Asian background, British upbringing and
uncanny flair for glamour and comedy.’
A regular on on the cabaret and club circuit Asifa is keen to raise the profile of LGBT people within Asian and black communities
‘I started going on the London club scene in my late teens and kept being called a curry queen which is slang for an LGBT person of South Asian descent.’
‘At the time, I hated that term because I wasn’t confident and hadn’t reconciled my ethnicity and sexuality — but the older I got, the more I embraced it. Now I love being called a curry queen!’
But Asifa’s main passion now ihighlighting the issue of sexuality in black and Asian communities, as he feels visibility of role models is low.
‘I believe we are lagging behind the rest of the world in this respect. In the US, black men like Frank Ocean and Jason Collins are very visible to their peers.’
‘However, I genuinely feel that in the UK, despite living in both multicultural societies and having many human rights as LGBT people, visibility is very poor. I would like to change that by showing that BAME LGBT people exist through my next music video and aren’t afraid of being visible.’
Asifa will debate the issue of being gay and Muslim on the March 25th issue of Free Speech on the BBC
Asifa did appear on a pre-recorded video for the BBC show Free Speech
Music star: Asifa performs in music videos which are often parodies or have a humorous theme
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"British Muslim drag queen" Asifa Lahore banned from discussing homosexuality in BBC debate
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