Leyla Jagiella is a cultural anthropologist and scholar of religion, working on orthodoxy and heterodoxy in Islam, and gender and sexuality in Muslim societies. As a Muslim trans woman, she has also been a community activist for several decades and works as a social worker with LGBTQI refugees in Germany. In the autumn of 2021, she visited our studio in Berlin and generously spoke with us on her personal experience and journey in order to offer up empathic and inclusive ways of dealing with bias issues and holding space for people’s uncertainty, with a specific focus on gender politics and moving beyond a binary worldview.

Published by Hurst Publishers, Jagiella’s recent book ‘Among the Eunuchs: A Muslim Transgender Journey’ reveals vastly varied interpretations of religion, gender, and sexuality, illuminating how deeply culture informs our experiences. As identity becomes an ideological battlefield, she complicates binaries and dogma with her rich personal reflections. Her fascinating journey speaks to all who find themselves juggling different kinds of belonging.