Attitude’s Bachelor of the Day: Amir Ashour
By Will Stroude
Attitude’s Bachelors of Year 2017 is brought to you in association with Blued.Attitude Bachelor of the Year position: #83
Forced to flee his native Iraq after founding the country’s only gay support network, IraQueer, Amir Ashour is a young man with a level of bravery and determination beyond his 26 years.
Now settled in Sweden, Ashour has continued his efforts to ensure the emancipation of LGBT+ people in his homeland. If you like driven, intelligent and (not to be shallow) but extremely handsome men, you’ll probably like Ashour. Just don’t ask him to choose between a relationship and his work…
Can you explain the mission of IraQueer?
Our mission is to empower the LGBT+ community in the Iraq/Kurdistan region through raising awareness about issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation. We want to equip the queer community to be able to expand our work and efforts in leading Iraq’s first LGBT+ movement.
How long have you been a bachelor?
This is a tricky question to answer, because I do date frequently. I haven’t been with a guy that I’ve seen a real future with since January, but I didn’t stop seeing people after him. There are a lot of interesting people out there, and I love meeting them and knowing their stories. If in the process I found someone, then great!
How was your coming out experience?
I never had one. I didn’t want to treat my sexuality differently than my straight peers who don’t need to come out. I think coming out is a concept created as a result of hetero-normative thinking, so instead of doing that, I always dropped hints here and there. The first person who started picking them up was my best friend. My uncles found out that I was gay from an interview I did with the HuffingtonPost. So each person found out differently. But generally speaking, being a visible gay activist in Iraq made it clearer to everyone that I was only interested in men. The reaction from the closest people in my life has been better than I expected. But the majority of my social circle were against it. Many still are.
What are the top three qualities you look for in a man?
Obviously being physically attracted to the person is important. I don’t want to pretend that I only care about their inner beauty, but the most important things for me are being passionate about what they do, unafraid of taking risks, and not playing games. If they did, they’d be playing alone, ‘cos the game would be over from my side.
Best date you’ve ever been on?
I’ve been on many great dates so it would be unfair to choose a favourite. But generally speaking, I really appreciate the kind of dates where a lot of thought goes into planning it.
…and the worst?
The details of the worst date I’ve been on aren’t appropriate to share, but whatever you do, do not go dutch on a first date! You should at least offer. Going dutch is so unromantic, and makes it feel like a work meeting.
What’s your favourite part of a man’s body?
I do like the neck/ear area – but the very honest answer would be all of it, especially when their body language is right.
Biggest deal-breaker?
It’s a tie between someone who is unaware and is uninterested what’s happening outside of their bubble and liars, because once trust is gone, it’s really hard to rebuild it.
Do you have an *ahem* ‘three date rule’?
I think ‘rule’ is a strong word! Generally speaking, I’m not in a hurry, but if it feels right, then it feels right.
Who’s your celebrity crush?
It changes from time to time. I am currently crushing on Justin Trudeau – back off world!
What’s your hidden talent?
I can read a bitch! I only do that when I am really drunk and someone annoys me too much. I try to generally treat people the way I want to be treated, but I also don’t have a problem being shady when someone tries to step on my toes, or makes a hateful comment against certain groups.
The June issue of Attitude is out now. Buy in print, subscribe or download. You can see all 100 of Attitude’s Bachelors of the Year here.
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