Speaker: Haroon
Job title: Writer
Company: Freelance

About the spreaker
Haroon Ali (1983) is a journalist, columnist, writer and speaker, living in Amsterdam. His work focuses on identity and diversity, gender and sexuality.  He wrote three non-fiction books in Dutch. 'Half', about his Pakistani roots and growing up as a gay boy in a Muslim family. 'Spectrum', a collection of interviews and essays about the LGBTQIA+ community in the 21st century. His latest book, 'Het blijft toch je familie?', sheds more light on family estrangement, and became a bestseller.  He also made the widely discussed documentary 'Het M-Woord', about homosexuality within Islam, for which he won De Tegel – the most important journalism award in the Netherland. In 2024, he was an ambassador for Pride Amsterdam. He was also named 'Star of the Future' by COC, and received the 'Rising Star Award' at the first Pan Asian Awards.