Omar Sharif Jr., the openly gay
grandson of the late actor Omar Sharif, recently discussed being out
on Egyptian television.
Sharif left Egypt in January 2011 and
came out gay the following year. He currently lives in the United
States.
Appearing on the Arabic new program
Shabab Talk, he told host Jaafar Abdul Karim that he never spoke
to his grandfather about his sexuality but felt that he was accepted.
“I think the best thing that I could
do in life is to live openly and authentically and happily,” Sharif
said. “And if I'm doing that, I know I'm making them happy,
because that's all they would want for me. They would want me to be
happy. That's what grandparents should want for their
grandchildren.”
“I'm a son. I'm a brother. I'm a
coworker. I'm a friend,” the 32-year-old actor continued. “I'm
not a fact, or a figure, or a statistic. I'm not a moral or an
ethical debate.”
While gay sex is not illegal in Egypt,
the LGBT community in Egypt faces widespread persecution.
(Related: Egypt
acquits 26 men held in “gay bathhouse raid.”)