Khalid El Khatib

Airport Code

Looks great, feels weird. Is there anything stranger than an airport? In our Airport Code series, writers pick a travel hub to unravel. I lower my mask and lift an $82 Le Labo Cedre 11 candle to my nose. Even on one of the stickiest days of summer,…

Post-Lockdown, Queer Comedy Is More Uninhibited Than Ever

When the United States went into lockdown in the spring of 2020, Sydnee Washington joined millions of others in panicking. “I thought: I don’t cook, I don’t clean, and I’m not married,” said the New York-based comedian and podcaster. “I don’t know…

Tweets About My Dad

There’s a series of television commercials I always look up from my phone to watch. They’re for Progressive home and auto insurance. I don’t own a home or a car, but I appreciate the cleverness of the ads: As people in their mid-thirties—not much…

The Queer Books of 2020

Like some people, I sent the early days of the pandemic the best version of myself. I perfected a number of low-fat Instapot recipes and froze the leftovers like a version of Sandra Lee who was really into CrossFit; I bounced from free trial of…

the gay twitter gift guide

They’ve posted viral tweets, thirst traps, and meme’d every moment of the year, and now they’re helping you shop for the holidays! These days internet gift guides are as common as holiday films (of which, they are 82 out this season, including…

Iowa: Don’t vote for Donald Trump or Joni Ernst.

Just before the GOP caucuses in 2015, I wrote a short letter to the editors of the Telegraph Herald,the paper of record in my hometown of Dubuque, Iowa. I urged voters to reject the xenophobia of then long-shot candidate Donald Trump. I reminded…

Some Celebrities Are Getting it Right

When the national conversation turns to any topic, the public looks to celebrities for their thoughts, reactions and inevitable mess ups. So while protests against systemic racism spread nationwide, naturally a number of famous names have entered the…

Saturday Protests Consume New York City

Protests in New York began in the afternoon and continued until after midnight. While Friday's protests mostly occurred in Foley Square and parts of Brooklyn, Saturday's protests permeated most of New York City. Thousands marched on Harlem, the East…

How Cash Bail Is Tied to Systematic Racism

The issue of cash bail, the practice of paying a deposit for the release of a person who has been arrested, is in and out of the news. In the 2020 Democratic Party primary for president, several candidates called for ending cash bail within their…

How Politicians Are Reacting to Nationwide Floyd Protests

On Friday, news networks broke from coronavirus-related coverage for the first time since mid-March. George Floyd's death on Monday in Minneapolis, has ignited nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism. Social media has lit up…

Protests Across America Intensify

Friday night, protesters marched in cities across America — from LA to Denver — demanding justice for George Floyd and calling attention to systemic racism. The protests, as organizers warned may happen, turned violent in many instances resulting in…

Quibi Launches Today: Did Streaming Just Change Forever?

Between Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Apple TV, Disney+, and HBO GO, we've almost reached the point where all our streaming services add up to the cost of cable. Enter Quibi, which launches today. While it adds a few bucks to the bundle, it aims to…

I Live in the City Now, but Cheesy Bread Will Always Have My Small-Town Heart

Good food is worth a thousand words—sometimes more. In My Family Recipe, a writer shares the story of a single dish that's meaningful to them and their loved ones. I walk into Jenna and Bradley’s apartment and hug them hello. I hand a bottle of wine…

The Syrian Conflict Through the Eyes of a Young Mother

Film today is an immersive experience, using the latest CGI technology to take you to a jungle where animals can sing or a world where superheroes are real. It aims to transport you. But even when a film — like a dystopian thriller or horror movie —…

This Is the Oldest Gay Bar in NYC. Not Enough People Talk About It.

Happy Pride Month! All June long, we'll be sharing long reads, personal essays, and recipes from LGBTQ+ writers. This week: Khalid El Khatib on Julius', the oldest gay bar in New York City. Before moving to Brooklyn in November, I lived in Manhattan…

Growing Up Palestinian in Iowa—Before Hummus, 9/11 & Christchurch

“I dare you to touch it,” my neighbor nudged me, pointing to the lamb’s eye—still intact—as we hovered over the cooler where it was being stored. I stood frozen until Grandma Amina gestured for us to lift the cooler and bring it to her to be…

PAPER People: The Fab Five

PAPER has always been a place of opportunity, a place that spotlights new talent and people who are doing tremendous things. We've spent over 20 years bringing you the Beautiful People issue, which identified amazing people who were doing things…

The Weird, Queer Play the World Needs Right Now

Two months ago, actor and comedian John Early headlined a sold-out fundraiser in Brooklyn. It was a star-studded affair featuring Broad City’s Ilana Glazer and a slate of vanguard queer performers who, like Glazer, often sell out venues in their own…

How Queer Muslims Are Working to End Stigma This Ramadan

Last Thursday, in the midst of the holy month of Ramadan, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York City hosted an LGBTQ+ Community Iftar, free and open to the public. An Iftar is the evening meal with which Muslims end…

After 27 Years, fierce pussy Is Still Making Inescapable Lesbian Art

Last Thursday, Nancy Brooks Brody, Joy Episalla, and Carrie Yamaoka sat around a table in the lobby of New York City’s Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, reminiscing about their long history of activism over lunch. As three of the four…