Omar Sharif Jr.: "I am Egyptian, I am half Jewish, and I am gay"

Coming out is never easy for most people. But Omar Sharif Jr. has done so publicly. In spite of fear—for himself, for his family, and for his country.

Omar Sharif Jr., the grandson of Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago star Omar Sharif (senior), has written a bold open letter in the U.S. queer news magazine The Advocate, stating that he is not only gay but also partly of Jewish descent. (His mother is Jewish, which makes him fully Jewish, according to rabbinical tradition).

He wonders if these identities will "forever remain mutually exclusive" and is bracing himself for criticism and threats.

A former resident of Egypt, Sharif moved to the United States in January, 2011, just as the Arab Spring demonstrations and protests got underway.

What prompted him to write this brave letter were the results of the recent Egyptian parliamentary elections in January (the first since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak), which resulted in Islamist parties dominating the government. He worries that the revolutionary wave may move Egypt "backward, not forward".

He challenges Egyptian political parties to declare their position on rights "regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or political belief". He raises concerns about Egypt's new government failing to demonstrate respect for fundamental human rights and equality.

Although he recognizes that Egypt is "not ready to adopt or accept equal rights for gays", he emphasizes the importance of discussing the issues. He notes that "We learn from the entrenchment of constitutional principles in long-established Western democracies that if a group is excluded from the outset, it could be centuries before the issue is revisited."

He ends his open letter by stating that he wants "a place" in the new Egypt.

Sharif, like his grandfather, is also an actor who has appeared in films and TV series, and has done ad campaigns for Coca-Cola and Calvin Klein. He was an awards presenter at last year's Academy Awards, playfully battling Kirk Douglas for his cane. He has a master's degree in comparative politics (conflict studies) from the London School of Economics. He also has a Canadian connection: he was born in and lived in Montreal.

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