- Luṭfī al-Khūlī’s (1929 – 1999, Egypt) play al-Arānib (‘The rabbits’, 1964) in which lawyer and his wife try out a synthesized chemical which causes biological change in the human sex: the male converts to a female and vice versa (also in F: Speculative Fiction: Science Fiction: On Earth).
- Fātiḥah Murshīd (1958-, Morocco) – Inʿitāq al-Raghbah (‘Emancipation of the desire’, 2019). Protagonist of this novel is ʿAzaldīn, whose wife Maryam divorces him when he confesses to wanting a sex-change, after which she suggests he go to a psychologist and forbids him from seeing their son Farīd. The novel follows ʿAzaldīn’s trip to Montreal, Canada, where he goes through the process of sex-change and settles afterwards. His son Farīd, who grew up to be a doctor, eventually follows him to Canada. The novel is a plea for the equal treatment of people who change their gender (reference) (also in W: Outside the Arab World: Americas: Canada).
- Ṭālib al-Rifāʿī (1948-, Kuwait) – Ḥābī (‘Habi’, 2019). This novel explores question of gender identity as it portrays the coming-of-age of a young girl, Riyyān, in Kuwait, who never felt she was really a girl, and expresses her desire to be a man (reference). The novel follows her journey as she expresses her feelings to her family and friends and goes abroad for hormonal treatment and sex-change operations.
Refrences:
In order of appearance
- ʿAdnān Ḥusayn Aḥmad. 2019. “‘Inʿitāqar al-Raghbah’ Riwāyah Jarīʾah Tarṣud al-ʿUbūr ila al-Jins al-Ākhir” www.alquds.co.uk, 15 May 2019 https://www.alquds.co.uk/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%BA%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A6%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%B5%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A8/ (last accessed 14 November 2021)
- Jaʿafar al-ʿAqīlī. 2022. “Riwāyah ‘Ḥābī’ lil-Kuwaytī Ṭālib al-Rifāʿī … Istilhām al-Asṭūrī li-Ṭaraḥ al-Maskūt ʿannu Mujtamaʿīyan.” www.afkar.jo, Majallah Afkār Thaqāfah wa Funūn 2022: 397, retrieved from http://www.afkar.jo/View_Articlear.aspx?Issue=2043&type=2&ID=3807 (last accessed 10 November 2023)