Queer guidebook

This project aims to create a visual guidebook as an attempt to understand how power in society imposes its dominance over our bodies, and through what mechanisms it uses to do so. The guidebook criticizes this domination and presents concepts as tools that we can use to dismantle these structures of oppression, liberate our bodies from them, and create a unified and safe language in the face of this oppression without imposing more restrictions on the marginalized groups. On the contrary, this guide book advocates calls for allowing these bodies to exit from the standards, templates and identities imposed on them.

Click here to download a copy of “The Body Concepts Guide”.

The main goal of this project was to create inoffensive terms that represent the queer community while being true to the local context of Jordan and the Arab region. Through achieving this, the project aims to unify these terms and promote them among individuals and organizations.

The project started off with on-the-ground surveys in the form of group events to help establish the common terms used within the queer community. The chosen terms were then developed with a content writer “Musa Shadidi” who helped form a contextual description around them. A visual artist was also part of this process and their role was to depict and translate these terms artistically. The final guidebook was therefore a glossary of Arabic terms illustrated visually which helped render the whole project as an appealing artistic expression.

A launch event at Aman Space took place and featured the artwork as well as printed copies of the guidebook available for the attendees. During the launch event, people also had the chance to discuss with both the artist and the content creator and learn more about the process and in turn the final guidebook.

The Guide helped in creating and raising awareness about the topics and terms within the queer community and the different organizations that work within the realm of sexuality and gender. Printed copies of the guidebook were distributed amongst Aman’s beneficiaries and the different organizations and allies of Aman. Digitally, the guidebook is featured on Aman’s and the partner’s websites.