Darin Zanyar came out as gay to his Instagram followers. The 33-year-old is one of Sweden’s most famous pop stars – with seven number one albums. The singer with Kurdish roots has also become a role model for the Kurdish community through his courageous step.

“Everyone in the world should be able to be proud and accepted for who they are. I know how difficult it can be. Took me a while, but I am proud to be gay. Happy Pride!”

Zanyar was born in Sweden on June 2, 1987. His parents are from Kurdish Iraq. In 2004 he took part in a Swedish singing competition and made it to the finals. Although he didn’t win, his career started full blast afterwards. With seven number one albums, he is now one of Swedens best-selling artists.

Coming-outs give hope to Kurdish queer community

Zanyar is not alone in this: Shortly before his outing, the Dutch-Kurdish singer Naaz declared on Instagram that she is queer – because she would love in more ways than she had previously thought. The Kurdish queer community celebrated the two stars’ coming out in social media as the beginning of a new era. Until now, there have been hardly any famous role models for young Kurdish queers who have publicly come out. One user wrote:

Another one said in his post:

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