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Episode 150 [in English]: Intersectionality & Survivorship

Claudia (she/her) is a queer, mixed Lebanese-American, disabled sexual and domestic violence preventionist, advocate, survivor, and social justice organizer, based in Fredericksburg, VA. She joined us to talk about her work as Community Services Specialist at the Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault (RCASA) in Fredericksburg, VA. 

RCASA’s services include a 24/7 hotline, counseling, hospital accompaniment, legal accompaniment, case management, prevention education. As part of her position, Claudia educates people in her community (as early as middle school) about healthy, unhealthy, and abusive relationships, consent, bystander intervention, and much more.

Our conversation included the importance of intersectionality in work around sexual violence, the particular challenges of reporting our experiences in LGBTQ and Arab-American communities, and how we can best support others experiencing relationship abuse.

You can reach out to Claudia for events, workshops, and collaborations at [email protected].

RCASA Address: 615 Jefferson Davis Hwy. Suite 201 Fredericksburg VA 22401
RCASA Phone: 540.371.6771
RCASA 24/7 Bi-lingual Hotline: 540.371.1666
RCASA Email: [email protected]
RCASA Website: www.rcasa.org

RAINN: 800.656. HOPE (4673)

Episode Transcript:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vdZfAzbAbkEFUyH4nw_s9kS3xIDviP0SyMrA3qWIR-k/edit?usp=sharing 


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Episode 149: Omar Sfeir

Image: “Lovers in the Times of Revolution” 

Omar Sfeir is a Beirut-based photographer and filmmaker. His work documents human intimacy as a means of questioning social norms. His photographic journeys tell the stories of non-conformists in the context of their respective societies, inspired by the taboos of sexual expression in the MENA region, especially towards the LGBT community. 

We discussed his recent photography projects, which represent the Lebanese Revolution, the Beirut explosion, and the COVID-19 crisis through visual symbolism, and his new documentary “Album,” which follows the relationships between three queer Lebanese individuals (including himself) with their mothers.

We also talked about the different ways that Arab and US cultures regulate emotional expression, and how we’ve been releasing our repressed emotions (whether by making art or by crying/screaming in our apartments). 

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