Khalid Abdel-Hadi

Khalid Abdel-Hadi (born 1988 or 1989)

Early life and education Abdel-Hadi was born and raised in Amman, Jordan. His family has Palestinian and Kurdish-Turkish roots. Abdel-Hadi was bullied at school for acting feminine. He came out to his mother at age 14, telling her he liked men; she told him he was "just yearning for a father figure".

He graduated from the University of Petra in 2014.

My.Kali Abdel-Hadi was interested in magazines since childhood. He had attempted to intern at local publications, but was turned down for being "too out there". In 2007, at age 17, he decided to found My Kali with some of his friends, with the aim of providing LGBT-related content. This article was referenced by numerous publications, outing Abdel-Hadi. Abdel-Hadi recounted this event for the 2022 anthology, This Arab Is Queer.

Art In 2022, Abdel-Hadi co-curated Habibi, Les Révolutions de l’Amour, an exhibition of LGBT artists from the Arab world and diaspora, at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris.

Modeling Abdel-Hadi often collaborates with photographers and artists. In November 2017, for example, he was a subject for French photographer Scarlett Coten's series of portraits entitled "Mectoub" of young men from Middle Eastern countries. Coten photographed Abdel-Hadi wearing a black high-waist swimsuit and heels.

In 2011, Abdel-Hadi angered many conservative LGBTQ Muslims by posing for a photoshoot in a speedo on Rainbow Street, Amman, with a mosque in the background. He later published a public apology for the shoot in Gay Star News.

Personal life Abdel-Hadi is gay and queer. He is also Muslim. and has said he dislikes being the center of attention and speaking in front of crowds.