Mustafa Alabbsi: The teenage zombie in "Black Summer," deaf-led theater, some n*de photos, and the queer Syrian-Canadian experience.

 

Link to the n*de photos

You may recall Mustafa Alabbsi from the tv series Black Summer (2019).  He plays Ryan, a deaf teenage who survives the first few days of a zombie apocalypse and has a brief but obvious gay-subtext buddy-bond with Lance (Kelsey Flower).  It may even have been intentional: Kelsey Flower is "gay af" in real life.  

Mustafa was born in Madaya, Syria, about 40 km from Damascus, in 2000.  When he was 12 years old, he and his family fled the war, and lived as refugees in Jordan.  He was not able to attend school, so he never learned to read and write Arabic (or English).  When he was 17, the family received asylum in Regina, Saskatchewan.  He tried to make up for the gaps in his education by enrolling in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program at Thom Collegiate. 

There are about 100,000 Canadians of Syrian ancestry.  30% arrived as refugees after 2015.  About 2/3rds are Christian, primarily Roman Catholic.  Many are LGBTQ, sponsored by the Toronto-based Rainbow Road.  Prominent queer Syrian-Canadians include Danny Ramadan, author of The Clothesline Swing (A gay Syrian love story) and The Foghorn Echoes (queer love in war-torn Syria); and Bassel Mcleash, who had been in Canada for only a month when he was invited to walk beside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the 2016 Toronto Pride Parade.

Back to Mustafa: He learned to read and write English and sign with American Sign Language, and to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming an actor, joined Regina's deaf theatrical community, The Deaf Crows Collective.  He has appeared in: 

Apple Time (2017) 

The Madcap Misadventures of Mustafa (2022), playing himself as a deaf Syrian clown who arrives in Canada with only a suitcase.

Firebird (2023)

Deaf Settlers (2024-25), about the Indigenous people's response to the first deaf European settlers in Canada.

100 Years of Darkness (2024), about brutal experimentation conducted on deaf people in the 19th century.

The Light of the Deep (2025): "A deaf-led theatrical discovery into darkness and discovery."

The last two were performed at the Inside Out Theatre, written by deaf queer artist Landon Krentz. In March 2025, got a grant to develop his short play, The Confidence of a Deaf Queer Male, into a "full 90-minute theatrical experience."  He explains: "This isn’t just about being visible. It’s about BELONGING. It’s about walking into rooms we weren’t invited into and refusing to shrink."

So, Mustafa is associated with the queer deaf community.  

And in his day job, he's a hairdresser, offering "Mane by Mustafa"

I'm starting to get a vibe (n*de photo on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends).

More after the break.  

"Working out with Lawson.  Very help.  Hard."

A follower writes:  "Love this picture of you both.  You're both handsome..."  So, is this Mustafa's boyfriend?

Maybe.  He writes: "We always go out together. I will trauma if the relationship ends."

Wait -- Mustafa calls Rome  "A brother from a different mother."  They are best friends.  So to speak (see RG Beefcake and Boyfriends).

Hussain is a third best friend, and whoever he is cuddling with in the back seat -- a fourth?  Mustafa: "Another night out with my brothers."  Or with your boyfriend and another couple?

But if Mustafa is gay, and so closely aligned with the queer deaf community, wouldn't he be out?  

Unless: Syrian parents, back home and in Canada, tend to reject the politics of "out and proud."  They tell their queer kids: "Keep quiet.  Don't say anything, and you'll be fine."

Maybe Mustafa is not saying anything.  

Bonus n*de Arab guy on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends

See also: "Hollyoakes" tackles trans bullying, with teen bodybuilder and ant Dan Hough as the bully. Plus bonus n*de twinks

"Jinn": Arabic Teen Angst-Horror with a Gay Character

Black Summer: The few few days of a zombie Apocalypse.

Arabic and Class Rings: Cruising at West Point during my junior year in high school