What does it mean to feel closeted during lockdown? A double blow, or an opportunity to interrogate your own identity?

A Homotopia Commission

During filmed performances of two poems, one exploring their masculinity, the other their femininity, spoken-word artist and drag performer Yas Necati delves into themes of gender identity, ethnicity, family and hope.

Moving in with their grandparents during lockdown, Yas is confronted with supposedly conflicting aspects of their individuality: their Turkish family heritage and their trans identity.

Join Yas as they close the bedroom door and engage in this discussion through a cathectic poetic experience.

How to watch

The films premiered on 19 May and are now live on our YouTube channel.

Yas Necati is a writer and performance poet based in London. They explore themes of queer and trans identity, migrant identity, mental health, recovery, community and resistance in their writing. They are part of London Queer Writers, and recently set up writing groups  for people of colour. When they are not immersed in poetry, they campaign on gender-based and queer based-rights, run workshops on self care, and occasionally perform as their drag act alter-ego, Turkish pop star Tarkan.