All Articles and features of this issue, (or published during this issue’s period) are listed at the end of the page

The concept of this issue was born from a collaboration done with Palestinian fashion brand, tRASHY clothing, on a collection related to Arab weddings. This sparked a broader conversation among My.Kali’s editorial and creative teams about all of the complex layers of marriage, and the variety of perspectives one could take in addressing the issue across contexts. How do we begin to go about this? How does marriage affect us as a community, and should it even be a priority given the more urgent issues that it faces? How can we encourage conversation that represents the spectrum of emotions related to marriage, from joy to crisis, pressure, and psychological entrapment?

We took this issue as an opportunity to question not only the institution of marriage, but also the idea of it — as something that is simply a “way of the world” or a “unified collective orientation,” which that is imposed upon most of us and used to stigmatize those who don’t abide by its rules. My.Kali shared three questionnaires on the subject of marriage and weddings with its readers and followers via our social media platforms, in order to gather their thoughts about and specific experiences with (1) personal attitudes and beliefs about marriage, (2) women who married members of the LGBT community, (3) individuals who were forced into marriage. The responses to these questionnaires were used to support and supplement a number of this issue’s articles, as well as a photo essay.

On the cover: Mykki Blanco
Photographed by: Omar Braika
Creative Direction by Shukri Lawrence
Makeup by: Zaina Allozi
Cover design by: Mohammed Moe Mustafa
Styled in full Trashy Clothing x My.Kali Magazine

We realized just how important this topic was for our audience after receiving a vast number of proposals and submissions following our call for work on this theme. The issue has become one of the largest, if not the largest, My.Kali has worked to produce thus far. So, it seemed appropriate to assign the issue four covers and one video cover. One of these features American singer, rapper, performer, poet and activist, Mykki Blanco, talking with them about Black Live Matter, and their recent trip to Palestine and Jordan. The other series highlights our collaboration with political fashion brand tRASHY clothing, featuring amazing, talented and upland coming artists.

This issue did manage to take on marriage and weddings from a variety of angles, drawing from the above questionnaires, as well as how weddings are being used as a tool of expression and form of protest, the story of a gay individual’s experience in an arranged marriage, how marriage is used to control women and their bodies, and the fear that having an openly gay brother could ruin his sister’s marriage prospects. We also met and interviewed a lesbian woman and a gay man who married in a ‘marriage of convenience,’ and the challenges and opportunities this allowed. There are many more articles and photo essays in addition to these, which together constitute a major reflection on the subject, its impact on us individually, how customs and traditions and societal norms end up controlling our destiny, and the fears and pressures to achieve an unrealistic happy ending.

All Articles and features of this issue, (or published during this issue’s period) are listed at the end of the page