Muslim drag queens: Behind the glitz and glamour

The Guardian documents Ali, a gay asylum-seeker in London, as he prepares for first performance as a drag queen

After running away from his home in Lahore, Ali, a gay Pakistani man, found a home in London as he swirls and twirls across Britain at ‘gaysian’ clubs.

Persecuted for his sexuality, Ali sought asylum in London but could not escape the ridicule as behind all the glitz and glamour, he is a victim of abuse from his neighbours in London.

Assuming the façade of a drag queen, Ali, however, overcame his fears three months ago, starting his career as Shilpa Jan.

The Guardian filmed Ali’s first performance at the UK’s biggest ‘gaysian’ club night and the events that led up to it.

He may have shed his fears now with a bright smile pasted across his face but in the first few minutes of the film, a grim Ali is seen sitting in a car as his neighbours abuse him.

“They don’t respect us, they think that we are insects,” Ali said mournfully.

“They can hurt us, insult us as well. No one changes this thinking, not even in the UK,” he added.

But moments later, it all changes: Ali is seen embracing his sexuality and swirling around the stage as people hoot and whistle.

It takes six hours to go from Ali to Shilpa Jan. Ali is shown applying layers of make-up, donning a sparkly red and gold sari and a wig just as he is about to take over the stage for his first performance at Disco Saathi in Birmingham.

“When I [came out] on the stage and they started shouting, I was like 'Oh my God! they like me' and then, I started dancing,” Ali exclaimed after his first performance.

“It is shocking for me and it was amazing.”

Ali urges people to embrace their individuality and sexuality and not cower down to pressure.

“My thinking was wrong. I can do this now. We are here to support you and you are the best and no one can stop you. Everything will be fine, just have faith,” he said to his fellows back in Pakistan.

But behind the glamour, as the masks come off, the realities remain the same.

“Sexual orientation is not a choice, what is a choice is ignorance and human prejudice on the matter,” Asifa Lahore, a Pakistani drag queen, said, regarding persecution against gay Muslims.

But as Asifa in the documentary concluded, “You can either allow different communities or identities to get in the way of you being you or you can just be you and face up to it.”