Growing up queer in a conservative Pakistani family was an arduous journey filled with challenges, isolation, and fear. I grappled with my identity in a culture that viewed homosexuality as taboo and a source of shame. My heart pounded with anxiety every time I glanced at a family photo, terrified of the judgment that would follow if my truth were ever discovered. Every family gathering felt like a minefield, and every interaction with my conservative relatives sent shivers down my spine. The fear of disappointing my loved ones, of being disowned or ostracized, weighed heavily upon me, leaving me perpetually trapped in a suffocating web of secrecy and self-denial.
