Gay Girl Gone CBC STORIES
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- Society & Culture
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Of all the young revolutionaries in Syria during the Arab Spring, Amina is different. An out lesbian in a country where homosexuality is illegal, she bravely documents her life on the blog Gay Girl in Damascus. Her candid posts attract readers from around the world, and soon she has a wide, ardent following. But then a post appears saying Amina has been abducted. Her fans mobilize, desperate to track down and save their fearless heroine. What they find shocks them. Journalist Samira Mohyeddin investigates what actually happened to the infamous Gay Girl in Damascus in this 6-part series. The result is a twisted yarn that spans the globe and challenges our thinking on love, politics and identity in cyberspace. Listeners can access every episode for free weekly on Wednesdays (6 episodes total). If you want early, ad-free access, visit apple.co/cbcstories.
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EP 1 - The Unicorn
It's 2011, and the Arab Spring is being documented by a heady mixture of up-to-the-minute citizen reporting, tweeting and blogging. One particular voice begins to stand out — the Gay Girl in Damascus — Amina Arraf. On her blog, Amina describes herself as an out lesbian with a passion for human rights and her homeland. Amina’s evocative writing describes her everyday life, the occasional sexy anecdote and the stirring rebellion around her. It wins her adoring fans from around the world. And also leads Sandra, a woman in far away Montreal, to fall in love.
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EP 2 - My Father, The Hero
As the conflict in Syria escalates, Sandra begins to worry for her girlfriend Amina’s safety. Amina’s blog has grown in notoriety, attracting the interest of Western media like The Guardian and NPR. But as a newly-minted media darling, Amina is under added surveillance and increasingly in danger.
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EP 3 - The Trustworthy Fortune Teller
The unthinkable has finally happened. Amina has been taken by the regime and is missing. In Montreal, Sandra is determined to pull on every lever possible to find Amina. Other journalists and locals are doing the same before it’s too late.
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EP 4 - On the Face of It
As forces around the internet unite to try to find Amina, more doubts begin to pile up. Especially when it's revealed that the photos on Gay Girl in Damascus, of a beautiful young woman with chin-length brown hair, belong to another woman entirely.
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EP 5 - Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are
The shocking truth about Amina finally comes out. Sandra is devastated as the enormity of her new reality starts to sink in. Members of the international media are also scrambling to update their coverage. In Istanbul, Turkish reporter Irem Koker hatches a plan to confront the real Amina.
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EP 6 - The Blast Radius
The fallout from the revelation about Amina — and others like her — continue to ripple across the world. A furious Sandra wants closure. Danny, living in Damascus, faces a life-threatening decision. And the blog’s loyal readers are left with one persistent question — why?
Customer Reviews
Must listen!
Samira Mohyeddin is a bright Gem among journalists in Canada and this podcast is an example why. Besides a fresh take on what happened to Gay Girl in Damascus I really appreciate the excellent story telling and weaving that made each episode irresistible and addictive. As a Queer Femme it makes a difference hearing about my people from someone of my community. I don’t trust the news on the CBC due to its glaring biases but highly recommend work done by Mohyeddin.
Woah! That was unexpected
I was hooked at episode one and binged the whole series on a long drive. What a great story, told fantastically! Highly recommend!
Excellent
Don’t let the comments about CBC subscriptions dissuade you. This podcast is fascinating and Samira is an excellent storyteller. Highly recommend!