last weekend i had the pleasure of bringing the first ever (to my knowledge) all-SWANA (southwest asian & north african) drag show to los angeles!! 🎉🎉
if you know me, you know how much i love and fight for my community. for the longest time while living in LA, being here felt so lonely. it wasn’t until i found community that i really started feeling a sense of belonging here.
i wanted to put on a drag show specifically to prove that being arab, or SWANA, doesn’t mean we’re automatically put in this “outsider” box. we aren’t all homophobic, we aren’t all “prudes,” we aren’t all “religious fanatics,” etc etc. my whole purpose was to crush the negative stereotypes against us, one event at a time.
and i had the BEST time with this one. a huge shoutout to our amazing performers and my beautiful friends, @mayaayooni@sukar__baba@sheidybee@thejaykurt with a special appearance from the lovely @sahbitistevie 💗 thank you all so much for letting me put this on, and for giving the performance of a lifetime.
this night was so special to me, and because of our incredible community we raised $600 to support palestine and lebanon during a devastating genocide. we truly couldn’t have done it without you all 🇵🇸🇱🇧
shoutout to @daydayshoots & @yasmine.cocotis for capturing this night 📸🎥 at @parkandlexstudios 🫶🏽
i am forever grateful to be given the space to bring our community together and to continue fighting against the oppression of our people ❤️🩹
(and yes, ya girl is doing ALLL of this while battling cancer)
We had the BEST time at our drag show with you all!! We feel so honored to have put on a show by and for the community and we can’t wait to do it again soon 🫂
We raised $600 for Lebanon and Palestine through ticket sales, keffiyehs, snacks, and stickers. 🇵🇸🇱🇧
Enjoy these absolutely unhinged pictures from the show (more to come of course). Thank you @daydayshoots for capturing such a beautiful night for us 📸
A huge thank you to our founder @youstinaanis for putting on the show, @mayaayooni for hosting, and @sheidybee@thejaykurt@sukar__baba for being the sexiest drag performers ✨🤍
Honorable mention: @sahbitistevie with a sexy, sexy beard 🧔🏻♀️
We WILL be putting on another drag show soon. Stay tuned for more info 🫡💗
UPDATE: WE ARE SOLD OUT! There will be no tickets sold at the door. See you Saturday!!
We are SO EXCITED to bring to you… our very first Queerabs drag show!!
Come down to @parkandlexstudios (same building as @midnightbooksla but just upstairs - you can access through Midnight Books) on Saturday, April 18 starting at 7 PM, with the show starting promptly at 8 (no Arab time here, folks).
Hosted by the lovely @mayaayooni as “Baba” (you know and love him from TikTok).
Performances by the iconic @sheidybee , @sukar__baba , and @thejaykurt 💃🏻
Suggested price for tickets is $20 but we are running a sliding scale from $10-$25 to keep it accessible. 🤍 Space is limited so make sure to get your tickets in advance. Link in bio 🎟️
💵 TIPS ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED!! Bring some cash and give some extra love to your performers!! We’ll also have their venmos posted around the venue if you cannot bring cash.
🇱🇧 A portion of proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Lebanon. We will have snacks available with a portion of proceeds going to Lebanon as well. We will also have a few keffiyehs available for sale for $40 each, with 50% of proceeds going to Palestine. ❤️🩹🇵🇸
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Queerabs is an organization we started for the queer Southwest Asian and North African community in Los Angeles.
We love allies and you’re always welcome at our events 🫶🏽🫂
Practice your Dabke with us at @studiokiefy on Wednesday 3/18 and 4/1! Raqesny | رقصني is a place to move your body, and grow confidence in the rich traditional dances from across the SWANA diaspora.
Reserve your spot at www.kiefy.studio/events
#dabka #swanadance #dabke #losangeles #danceclass
We’re teaming up with Sooki Studio for an evening of queer ceramics and community. This handbuilding workshop is a space to slow down, work with clay, and spend time together in a warm, welcoming studio.
No experience needed ~ just come as you are. All pottery supplies will be provided by our generous hosts @sooki__studio This class is sliding scale to keep it accessible to our community🌀
Participants will have two hours to build as many pieces as they’d like using unglazed terracotta clay. All pieces will be fired and ready for pickup within ~3 weeks.
Queerabs exists to create spaces where queer SWANA folks can connect with friends, meet others in the diaspora, and gather around art, creativity, and community. We’re excited to share this evening together while supporting a beautiful queer SWANA owned local studio that has opened its doors to us 🫶
📆March 22, 2026
🎟️Sliding scale $25-$45-$75
Ticket link in bio!
One week away! Learn iconic dance moves, practice cultural dance styles, move your body, and grow confidence in the rich traditional dances from across the SWANA diaspora. Starting on Wednesday 3/4 at Kiefy Studio! #dabke #raqsbaladi #dabka #SWANAdance #losangeles
Reserve your spot for all 3 sessions at the link below
https://www.kiefy.studio/events
Join us on March 4th, March 18th & April 1st to learn SWANA dances and enjoy this opportunity to move our bodies, wear our cultural garments, celebrate our identities, and connect! Tickets are available at a sliding scale, with the goal of supporting our beloved community space at Kiefy Studio!
Reserve your spot at www.kiefy.studio/events
#dabke #SWANAdance #raqsbaladi #dabka #losangeles
Happy New Year! Queerabs is hosting a New Year’s Reset! Stop by Midnight Books LA on Saturday, January 10 from 7 - 10 PM and claim your intentions for the year with us. Queer SWANAs and BIPOC to the front 👋🏽
We’ll have music, games, karaoke, hangs, and chill vibes! Bring your friends, your lovers, your neighbors, your siblings, anyone who loves vibing and bad singing 🤭
@sourdollbread will be there selling their delicious and iconic sourdough bread. Trust us, you’ll want to try it 🥖
Tix are sliding scale $5-$10. Link to purchase in our bio. We will not be selling tickets at the door so get yours in advance 🎟️📆
We are so excited to reunite with you all in the New Year and get rid of the khara that was 2025. Inshallah 2026 brings us good health, safety, freedom, and happiness. 🥂✨
Habibis! We’re back with one more beach day this summer 🌴✨
Queerabs beach days are all about soaking up the sun together as a community and holding a safe space in each other’s company 💛
📆 Sunday, September 7 from 12-6 pm
📍Ginger Rogers Beach
🌊 Open to SWANA folks + allies
🥤 Don’t forget: water, snacks, drinks, sunscreen!
🎟️ RSVP through the Posh link in our bio (don’t forget to do this as the headcount is important for planning!)
We can’t wait to hang out with you on the sand 🐚🌞💦 We’ll be under the pink canopy - exact pin will be dropped the day of.
Zionists are not welcome ✨ see you soon!
Today is nothing more than another day to lament living in the belly of the imperialist beast :) but what’s real, what’s tangible, is connecting with beautiful people to help us navigate what’s to come.
Eat, dance, sing, make things with your hands. Our creative community is thrumming with love and inspiration, especially now when we need it most. @sooki__studio and @astralab_la have multiple things going, @waseelwav is DJing next week, and we hear @betweeneast is making their coffee social a regular thing!
For the first two, @thefriday.gallery has their Ancestral Futures gallery up until Sept 17, and we’re excited to see that yet another Yemeni coffee spot @qamariacoffee_la has opened in Culver!
We will be taking every opportunity to find one another (and support one another) in this big, chaotic city. See you out there 🙏🏼
