<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Shams Speaks]]></title><description><![CDATA[Shams Speaks is an Indian queer blog, that discusses on the often overlooked issues surrounding the desi queer community.]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:58:19 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[I’m Sunni and My Boyfriend Is Shia, How We Built a Life Together as a Gay Couple in India]]></title><description><![CDATA[This love story began with a flashmob… It was 2021. We were planning our second queer flashmob in Lucknow, bright, bold, and full of...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/i-m-sunni-and-my-boyfriend-is-shia-how-we-built-a-life-together-as-a-gay-couple-in-india</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6838c1ee05d24dc7562d37b0</guid><category><![CDATA[The Gay Muslim Space]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2025 20:25:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_8910751cbb5e4f758a1e3835815235b3~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Coming Out at Work: How I Told My Crush I Was Gay, and He Didn’t Walk Away]]></title><description><![CDATA[It was my first job. The office had two gates, one at the front and one at the back. I was walking in through the back gate when I saw...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/coming-out-at-work-how-i-told-my-crush-i-was-gay-and-he-didn-t-walk-away</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6838bf3b05d24dc7562d3055</guid><category><![CDATA[The Gay Muslim Space]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2025 20:15:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_651a2311d45c458c9941400a8da28558~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Left a Suicide Note to Come Out to My Father, Now I’m Living as My True Self]]></title><description><![CDATA[Born into a conservative Muslim family in Varanasi, my life and choices were always dictated by society and its norms. Growing up, I felt...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/i-left-a-suicide-note-to-come-out-to-my-father-now-i-m-living-as-my-true-self</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6838bdb16be3ccb4d3fcc87f</guid><category><![CDATA[The Gay Muslim Space]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2025 20:07:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_3e03b135890a4b2e88efc0172cd54d8f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Queerness in Islamic History: The Poetry of Abu Nuwas]]></title><description><![CDATA[Did you know that one of the most celebrated poets in Islamic history openly wrote about same-sex desire over 1,200 years ago? His name...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/queerness-in-islamic-history-the-poetry-of-abu-nuwas</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6838ba856be3ccb4d3fcc028</guid><category><![CDATA[The Gay Muslim Space]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2025 20:00:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_33264305c0b04af6862e4a63d987f0c5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_739,h_415,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[They Said They Supported Their Gay Son,Until He Brought Home a Muslim Boyfriend]]></title><description><![CDATA[The first time I met Avinash’s parents,I had already rehearsed a hundred different versions of how it might go. Would they be cold? Would...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/they-said-they-supported-their-gay-son-until-he-brought-home-a-muslim-boyfriend</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6838b15f1ab25c83589a10dc</guid><category><![CDATA[The Gay Muslim Space]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2025 19:31:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_3783671a60c54e5fbf66d617abd8c2b3~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Caught Between Two Closets: The Housing Struggle of Queer Muslims in Urban India]]></title><description><![CDATA[“Hum Musalmanon ko ghar nahin dete.” A sentence so simple, so casual, and yet so brutal. I’ve heard it before. So have many others like...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/caught-between-two-closets-the-housing-struggle-of-queer-muslims-in-urban-india</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6838ac011ab25c83589a021c</guid><category><![CDATA[The Gay Muslim Space]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2025 18:56:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_3231766fd62c442480849627457bbe4f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Happened When I Wore a Hijab to Delhi Pride Parade]]></title><description><![CDATA[I wore it proudly. My hijab. My choice. My story. As I stepped into the colorful crowd, rang birange fashionable kapdon ka jhund , I was...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/what-happened-when-i-wore-a-hijab-to-delhi-pride-parade</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6838a9a7aa6d016633b13de4</guid><category><![CDATA[The Gay Muslim Space]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2025 18:46:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_89f50f356a164f459347c3817c39f4ff~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Gay bhi aur Muslim bhi? How is that even possible?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Being both queer and Muslim feels like living in contradiction, two identities that are constantly seen as incompatible, even...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/gay-bhi-aur-muslim-bhi-how-is-that-even-possible</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68388d9dd569a830f8ab16b9</guid><category><![CDATA[The Gay Muslim Space]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2025 17:23:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_bc4ca9563b4342c8b519f0224f596ba1~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dating Someone with HIV: Understanding the Myths, Risks, and Realities]]></title><description><![CDATA[We all have preferences in dating, and that’s completely valid. But at what point do our preferences turn into discrimination? When we...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/dating-someone-with-hiv-understanding-the-myths-risks-and-realities</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67d1a3bdae39fd11e96effae</guid><category><![CDATA[Learn about STIs and safe sex.]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 12 Mar 2025 15:25:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_a1c03942a96b45398220df4f2874a614~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Understanding Sides: Not All Queer Men Enjoy Anal Sex—And That’s Okay]]></title><description><![CDATA[When it comes to gay sex, there’s often an assumption that anal penetration is the ultimate act—something every queer man should desire....]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/understanding-sides-not-all-queer-men-enjoy-anal-sex-and-that-s-okay</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67d0979ecb42add681a168d3</guid><category><![CDATA[Queer Charcha]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 11 Mar 2025 20:20:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_6c8fc24d58fe48aa97699d021b8aa9ad~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[5 Things to Consider Before Coming Out]]></title><description><![CDATA[There’s no “right” time to come out. Some people come out at a young age, some later in life, and some choose not to come out at all....]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/5-things-you-need-to-consider-before-coming-out</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66c393c84df7a943969fdbc3</guid><category><![CDATA[A beginner's guide to LGBT]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 19 Aug 2024 19:11:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_fab100f51855422fa5ca0afe8d08832a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I tested positive for HIV, Now what do I do?]]></title><description><![CDATA[First thing first, HIV is not the end. HIV diagnosis does not mean you are going to die early. With early treatment and proper care,...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/i-tested-positive-for-hiv-now-what-do-i-do</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66c1e2285459b798677f6111</guid><category><![CDATA[Learn about STIs and safe sex.]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 18 Aug 2024 12:59:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_190f0ba0d028400fb7fe526d431cc384~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Find ways to prevent STIs and stay safe.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Practice abstinence. The surest way avoid an STI is not to have Sex. This means not having vaginal, oral or anal sex. But that obviously...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/find-ways-to-prevent-stis-and-stay-safe</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66c1c2f75459b798677f4836</guid><category><![CDATA[Learn about STIs and safe sex.]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 18 Aug 2024 10:01:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_abef7c1a7af04639a3ee99cf9ae21fee~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Can You Help Someone Who Has Been Newly Diagnosed with HIV? ]]></title><description><![CDATA[1. Talk to them. To understand better about their HIV status and health, have open and honest conversations with them. Follow their lead...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/how-can-you-help-someone-who-has-been-newly-diagnosed-with-hiv</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66bf95c3f767e8ffe9e6d9de</guid><category><![CDATA[Learn about STIs and safe sex.]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 16 Aug 2024 18:18:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_2160ad9b0bc44d17a08c730e65865977~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_576,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[HIV 101: Understanding PrEP and PEP medicines.]]></title><description><![CDATA[What is PrEP? PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a medicine for people at risk for HIV to prevent getting HIV from sex or injection...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/hiv-101-understanding-prep-and-pep-medicines</link><guid isPermaLink="false">669ebcf792702b47a1877a28</guid><category><![CDATA[Learn about STIs and safe sex.]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 2024 20:27:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_1944c214d6144f04a3aaa9586a526320~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[HIV 101- Understanding HIV &#38; AIDS, how it spreads and preventions of it. ]]></title><description><![CDATA[HIV 101: An Introduction of the series. HIV 101, is a series of multiple articles covering the basics of HIV &#38; AIDS, it's prevention, and...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/hiv-101-understanding-hiv-aids-how-it-spreads-and-preventions-of-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6693e7173bfa37dc1ddbd0b5</guid><category><![CDATA[Learn about STIs and safe sex.]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 2024 09:04:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_1055f8f178af4c5697bb754010ca0906~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Toxic Masculinity:What is it and how is it dangerous to men?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Before we begin, and you start writing long hate paragraphs in my comment box, Let me make it very clear that... By toxic masculinity, I...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/toxic-masculinity-what-is-it-and-how-is-it-dangerous-to-men</link><guid isPermaLink="false">666ec196473663903d27b4b1</guid><category><![CDATA[Queer Charcha]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 17 Jun 2024 08:06:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_dd9575b1c4fe48f1bb01f24048765494~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_576,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Shams and Rumi, a tragic story of gay love, sorrow and pain.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Born in a wealthy family, Rumi was a noble man and a respected Muslim scholar whose family had close connections with the king. He was...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/shams-and-rumi-a-tragic-story-of-gay-love-sorrow-and-pain</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66648b68ad2d6825062d9489</guid><category><![CDATA[The Gay Muslim Space]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 08 Jun 2024 16:49:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_a9b4b527131f4d5bbb9c9d7952e33b3a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_576,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[LGBT 101: Let's learn about LGBTQIA+ identities and sexualities. ]]></title><description><![CDATA[LGBTQIA+ is An acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual/Agender/Aromantic. The plus (+) sign is used...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/lgbt-101-let-s-learn-about-lgbtqia-identities-and-sexualities</link><guid isPermaLink="false">665f4ff3f6dafa2b174ddab0</guid><category><![CDATA[A beginner's guide to LGBT]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 07 Jun 2024 18:21:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_0d2f7d52c46c4c8ab642d1570f9dc063~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sarim: A muslim person who sacrificed their Queer identity, to survive in a rural area. ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Picture a super hot school day, the first one back after the summer holidays. I was busy doodling when out of the blue, someone's...]]></description><link>https://shamsspeaks.wixsite.com/my-site-2/post/sarim-a-muslim-person-who-sacrificed-their-queer-identity-to-survive-in-a-rural-area</link><guid isPermaLink="false">665c6045ab28958bb1af867d</guid><category><![CDATA[The Gay Muslim Space]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 02 Jun 2024 12:40:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/998df6_25a98a51e4f3402c942604c3069672dd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_576,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shams Tabrez</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>