From day one at Women Deliver, my openness about being gay marked a first in my professional journey in global development. After spending over two decades in this sector, I know that we can and must do better at addressing the near silence on sexual orientation both internally as organizations and in our external work.
My identity as queer, an immigrant woman of color, and a Muslim deeply influences every aspect of my life. This intersectionality isn’t just a buzzword but a lived reality, forcing me to constantly navigate which facets of my identity to highlight in different contexts, whether personal or professional. It’s a relentless, exhausting balancing act, made necessary by the world’s limited understanding and appreciation of the richness and complexity of intersecting identities.
Coming out as gay isn’t a one-time event. It's a daily decision, a continuous negotiation about whether to reveal parts of yourself that aren't immediately obvious or to keep them hidden and avoid potential harm. It’s also very contextualized, and people who identify as queer can be very “out” in some aspects of their life while going completely back “in the closet” in others.
About the author
Maliha Khan@MalihaKhanWD
Dr. Maliha Khan has dedicated over 30 years to advancing gender equality, starting her career in Pakistan by advocating for girls’ and women's inclusion in male-dominated development projects. She has held leadership roles in program design, implementation, and evaluation at organizations such as Care and Oxfam, and was previously head of programs at Malala Fund before joining Women Deliver. Committed to addressing the sector’s colonial and racist legacies, Khan strives for systemic change. She holds a doctorate from the State University of New York and a master's degree from Quaid-i-Azam University, with a background in academia as a former associate professor. Her experiences reinforce her belief in the necessity of representing the most vulnerable girls and women to achieve meaningful global change.
