Currently playing at London’s Bush Theatre is a powerful thought-provoking piece that tackles the universal problem of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers that seems to get worse every day

Waleed Akhtar‘s “The P Word” explores that plus  the experience of gay Pakistani men in the UK Split into two halves, in the first act we meet Billy (Akhtar), a gay Pakistani man who has faced discrimination from all sides and spends his days on Grindr. We also meet gay asylum seeker Zafar (Esh Alladi), who fled Pakistan when his father tried to kill him, only to be met with a hostile Home Office.

After delving into both of their stories, the second act sees the two men meet and their stories unfold as they face the future together and create an unlikely bond. It’s a moving play that illustrates the often-impossible conditions forced upon LGBTQ+ asylum seekers by the UK government while exploring two different versions of the queer, Muslim experience.

The P Word also talks about the gay community in general, and how there can be problematic spaces within that as well. There’s this assumption that when you come out, you’re embraced by the community, but actually, they can be quite hostile to people of colour or people who don’t fit the norm

Waleed told Queerguru ‘I wanted to see a play from a queer Muslim perspective that didn’t pander to the white gaze. So, I had to write it. I was also spurred by the difficulties that Gay asylum seekers face and wanted to shine a light on that.’ 

The really good news is that the play has been such a success that the Bush Theatre has actually extended its run.

https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/event/the-p-word-2022

Until 29th Oct 2022