Draft:Martin Young

Syrian Gay writer Khaled Alesmael Khaled was born and raised in Syria to a Turkish Assyrian mother and Syrian Arab father. His mother's family migrated from Mardin to the east of Syria due to the Ottoman massacre against Christians in 1915. He pursued English Literature at Damascus University and graduated in 2006.

Books:

"Selamlik" is a novel that delves into the experiences of a gay Syrian man and has been translated into multiple languages. The book was shortlisted for the SKOUTZ award in Germany.

"Gateway to the Sea" is a collection of short stories about gay Arab men, also translated into multiple languages.

Khaled won the short story award at Swedish Radio for his work titled "A Tote Bag Carries Damascus" in 2020.

Work:

In 2005, Khaled co-founded and managed one of the first private radio stations in Syria. He received a Climate Change Radio Journalism bursary from the Danish Institute in Damascus, covering COP 15 in Copenhagen in 2009. In the same year, he joined the International Visitor's Program as an environmental journalist in Washington D.C. Khaled also served as a radio correspondent for Radio France International/Arabic in 2008 and as a Media Officer for the United Nations Development Program in Damascus from 2011 to 2012.

Life After War:

Khaled played a pivotal role as a co-founder of the Arabic Creative Writing course at Gothenburg University. Additionally, he worked as a journalist for ONTV in Cairo and served as a content developer and radio journalism trainer for ARK in Istanbul. His contributions extend to Swedish Television, Swedish Radio, TAZ newspaper in Berlin, and freelance writing in London.

Personal Life:

In 2014, Khaled sought asylum in Sweden, driven by the conflict in Syria and the criminalization of homosexuality under Article 520 of the 1949 penal code.

Presently, Khaled resides in London, where he continues to pursue his writing career.