Ayse Topeka’s new documentary depicts the lives of gay and bisexual Syrians in Istanbul as they compete for a place in the Mr Gay World competition and “makes a persuasive case that visibility is a vital weapon in the fight against oppression.”

Via The Guardian:

Toprak’s film presents the lives of a handful of the contestants, all of them refugees living in Istanbul, as they prepare for the big event. The main focus is on Hussein, a hairdresser who is closeted from his family and has the added complication of an infant daughter. There is also Omar, an infectiously jolly cook, and Wissam, who plans to win over the judges with a combination of Minnie Mouse ears, heels and hot pants. Such tomfoolery serves a vital function. Though the picture begins with a Gay Pride parade being violently disrupted by police, the instances of oppression and homophobia are outnumbered by scenes depicting matter-of-factly the lives of these resilient men who have, as Hussein puts it, arrived at courage by way of despair. “The contest itself was really celebratory,” says Toprak. “It’s part of their struggle that they want to laugh and have fun in order to stay alive. Everyone in that room felt proud of who they were.”

The pageant is a defiant stand against ISIS, who have killed countless gay men by throwing them off the top of buildings in Syria.

Speaking to the Daily Mail from Istanbul, where he has sought sanctuary, the newly crowned Mr Gay Syria Hussein Sabat insisted he hates the terror group more than he is scared of them.

‘I want to show that Syrian gays are not just bodies thrown off buildings by ISIS; we have dreams and ideas and we want to live our lives. Of course we were nervous but we we’re excited – we all wanted to be Mr Gay Syria to do something empowering,’ he said.

The 24-year-old knows firsthand the pain and terror of Isis – his first boyfriend was beheaded by the terror group and the execution video sent to family and friends.

Unfortunately, Hussein couldn’t represent Syria at the Mr Gay World competition in Malta because he was denied a visa.

My happiness was not complete,’ he said. ‘It was a wonderful title but then I found out on my birthday that they had denied my visa.’

The winner was due to fly to Malta day after he was given the crushing news and had already had a make over in preparation for the big event, which they had hoped would highlight the plight of gay Syrian refugees.

A reluctant stand in, event organizer Mahmoud Hassino was determined that his country would be represented and while he gave it his best he dropped out on the third day – not keen to take part in the swimwear challenge.

‘Mahmoud went to represent everybody – but he quit on the third day because he said it wasn’t for him – he’s a spokesman, and it’s not his way of doing activism. All the competitors were very supportive of him and more than willing to let him join in when he wanted,’ said Bradley covered the competition in Malta.

All of the Syrian competitors remain in Istanbul, apart from one who smuggled himself to Greece before the March 20th deadline agreed between the EU and Turkey.
For Hussein, he will spend the year fighting for LGBT rights in Syria and beyond.

‘We need to be more public about our sexuality so we can demand our rights. I can’t give advice because some people just can’t leave Syria,’ he said sadly.
‘I think we would have been an inspiration to them if we had been able to go to the final in Malta, but now… I don’t know.’

Read more about the film here.