Call me Kay. It's short for Khadija Ali. I'm a young Somali woman living in the City of Ottawa, Ontario. I am twenty two years old. Presently, I study at Algonquin College, and someday, I am going to be a police officer. In the meantime, I'm working as a cashier at a grocery store and trying to get by. Pure and simple. The police foundations program at Algonquin College isn't exactly the easiest, or the cheapest, but I do believe it's worth it.
Ladies and gentlemen, like many Muslim women out there, I am leading a double life. Not because I am dishonest but simply because I've got no other choice. I play the cards I was dealt. My parents, Yousef and Mariam Ali don't know this, but I have been keeping a secret from them. I am a lesbian. I like women. It's not easy for me as a Somali woman raised in Islam to admit that I am a Qaniisad, but it's the truth. I didn't choose to be this way, but it's simply what I am.
I know for a fact that I am not the only one of my kind. Plenty of Somali Muslim women out there have same-sex fantasies and desires. Somali lesbians do exist. I am not alone. Other Somali Muslim women feel like I do. I see it in the eyes of Somali Muslim sisters I see on the bus, the train, and at the mall. For women who love women, there's a special bond or connection between us. It is all in the eyes. Once I lock eyes with a woman, I know what she is. Even if she doesn't know it herself. Let's call it my inner lesbian radar.
A year ago, I met a woman who simply changed my life. Justine Armstrong, a six-foot-tall, lean and athletic, blonde-haired and brown-eyed white chick I met while visiting my cousin Halima at the University of Ottawa. Justine Armstrong is originally from the suburb of Gosford, somewhere in the New South Wales region of Australia, and is studying business administration at the University of Ottawa on an international scholarship. We met, and sparks flew between us. I like blonde chicks, they're definitely my weakness.
