A Vancouver reunion in ‘Damascus’ for gay man who fled Syria

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – There’s a reunion, 26 years in the making, happening in Vancouver next month — but it’s not your typical meeting.

“The last time that I saw her face-to-face was when she was 11,” Danny Ramadan, the organizer of RBC Presents: An Evening in Damascus, told CityNews of his sister.

He says he expects it to be an awkward reunion, having not seen his sister in more than two decades. The last time they were together, they were in Syria at a time when he was shunned by family for coming out as gay.

But after fleeing his home country, his identities as a Syrian and gay man are celebrated — especially at his upcoming event.

“Selfishly speaking, I want her to walk in and see those 250 people looking at me on that stage and applauding,” he said. “I want her to see that as a queer person, who is out there, who is married, and I can hold my husband’s hand — that there’s a whole community that doesn’t judge me for it.”

Ramadan, dressed in full Syrian garb, proposed to his partner at one of the fundraiser’s annual events. (Submitted by Danny Ramadan)

Ramadan is an accomplished author and activist. He’s a Syrian refugee who settled in Vancouver. After being arrested for running an underground gay community centre in the Middle East, he reconnected with his sister four years ago.

After pandemic delays, Ramadan’s sister, her husband, and their daughter will arrive just ahead of the fundraiser, which helps LGBTQ2s+ refugees, like him, come to Canada.

“In a Muslim family they will have traditions, specific ways of living, and I have my identity as a queer person. I’m married to a man. What I expect is my husband is going to receive the same respect,” he said, adding resettling will likely be a struggle for his family at first.

Despite being apart, his family remains in his mind. Flipping through the pages of his book, Salma the Syrian Chef, Ramadan points out that the main character is “designed to look like Tala,” his niece.

Read more: An Evening in Damascus returns to Vancouver to celebrate, help LGBTQ Syrian refugees

He says his relationship with his sister seems genuine and authentic, and hopes they can begin a new chapter in their lives.

“I’m not going to fight to change the opinions of somebody who was indoctrinated and grew up in that culture. What I can ask for is respect and a bit of understanding. It’s the next generation that is going to grow up with us not looking like the monsters that we’re designed to be back in the Middle East,” Ramadan added.

An Evening in Damascus is an annual event in Vancouver that has become widely popular within the LGBTQ2s+ community. It was forced to go virtual last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Ramadan and others are looking forward to welcome people back in-person this year.

Related video: Drag Queens mingle with newcomers at cross-cultural fundraiser for Rainbow Refugee

The fundraiser, which is now in its seventh year, supports Rainbow Refugee, which brings persecuted community members to Canada.

Ramadan believes the event is a bridge between cultures.

“And I can put all the carpets in the world and I can have all the drag queens that are out there, but if I didn’t actually allow that community to intermingle, it wouldn’t actually work,” he previously told CityNews.

Danny Ramadan joins the crowd at An Evening in Damascus in 2018. (Submitted by Danny Ramadan)

Discounted community tickets are donated to refugees, those impacted by the refugee crisis, and LGBTQ2s+ people.

CityNews Vancouver and NEWS 1130 are proud media sponsors of An Evening in Damascus. You can buy tickets online.