logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2023
36m 12s

Weekend Listen: Gay Girl Gone

CBC
About this episode
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 abdu ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
The true toll of wildfire smoke
As the planet heats up, wildfire seasons are getting worse. Wildfires have caused mass destruction to homes and community infrastructure in Collins First Nation. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their communities across Northern Ontario. Fires continue to rage across ... Show More
28m 20s
Jul 16
Understanding the rise of ‘democratic socialism’
Recently, in the U.S., there’s been a wave of self described democratic socialists running for and winning elected office.There is the improbable case of Zohran Mamdani who won his New York mayoral campaign. But there are other high profile races where establishment incumbents ar ... Show More
37m 2s
Jul 15
Can Hamas’ handover restart Gaza’s peace plan?
The Gaza peace plan and ceasefire, announced last October, is in limbo.Israeli forces have continued their strikes and expanded control of the strip beyond the lines originally agreed upon in the plan. Humanitarian aid is trickling in but there are still concerns about how it’s b ... Show More
26m 32s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
Introducing: Gay Girl Gone
It’s the dawn of the Arab Spring and Amina is a revolutionary blogger in Syria, fighting not just for justice but for gay liberation. When she’s snatched off the streets of Damascus, her followers frantically mobilize to save her. In this six-part series, journalist Samira Mohyed ... Show More
2m 57s
Nov 2023
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 pas ... Show More
35m 9s
Nov 2023
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. 
32m 34s
Nov 2023
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. 
29m 7s
Nov 2023
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 increa ... Show More
34m 43s
Apr 2022
Trailer
Nadia, a young Syrian woman in the diaspora, struggles to come to terms with what the world knows about what’s happening in her country. She speaks with Riyad - her father's friend - whom she had first met in the strangest of circumstances. Riyad tells Nadia more about his extrao ... Show More
2m 18s
Oct 2022
One Thing: She’s Fleeing Iran. But Not the Fight.
Thousands have taken to the streets in Iran after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died after being detained by the country’s morality police. Hundreds have reportedly been killed by authorities during the unrest. We explore whether the uprising will bring about lasting ... Show More
15 m
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami