Hamed Sinno

#HamedSinno (April 25, 1988 – ): The Lebanese-American lead singer of the alt-rock/indie band #MashrouLeila, he was born to a Lebanese-American father and Jordanian mother. He attended an American school and graduated not knowing much Arabic as his family spoke English at home. Instead, he found he was able to both study and learn Arabic through songwriting, which eventually led him to the band he currently sings in. While studying graphic design at the American University in Beirut, Sinno came out. As a singer, he has used his platform to advocate for #LGBTQIA rights in the #MiddleEast and around the world. For this, he was banned from performing in Jordan in April of 2017. Later that same year, Sinno collaborated with Iranian artist #AlirezaShojaian to create a painting of Sinno pinching the nipple of #Anubis, alluding to the state-sponsored persecution of LGBTQ+ people in Egypt. When Mashrou Leila performed in Egypt that September flying the pride flag, many concert-goers were arrested afterward. Speaking to CNN, he spoke to the racism and homophobia he has faced in his career, stating, “It feels like the amount of homophobia, for example, that I would have to confront in Lebanon or in other places in the Middle East is equal to the amount of racism I would have to deal with as an Arab who looks like a brown boy (in the U.S.).” Nevertheless, he persists and continues to voice his concerns about racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and transphobia in his work and is currently studying at #DartmouthCollege. #PrideMonth #LGBTQIA #LGBTQIAPride #Pride #LegendsOfPride #YouCannotEraseUs