Episode 174: Tiny Huge Decisions – Mohsin Zaidi and Dalia Iskander

I Want to Put a Baby in You!

Mohsin Zaidi is an award-winning author and a criminal barrister. His coming-of-age memoir, “A Dutiful Boy,” explored growing up queer in a strict Muslim household in Britain. The memoir was named Book of the Year in The Guardian, GQ and New Statesman. Mohsin also won both the prestigious Lambda Literary Award and the Polari Prize in 2021. Mohsin is an advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, BAME representation and social mobility. He sits on the board of Stonewall and is listed by The Financial Times as a top future LGBTQIA+ leader. Mohsin cannot wait to be a parent and for the chance to pretend he will do things entirely differently from his parents, before realizing they were right about more than he knew. Dalia Iskander is a Medical Anthropology Lecturer at UCL. Her specialist research areas include the body and emotion; childhood and gender; and health related decision making. She and her husband recently had a child, and this experience has made her think differently about pregnancy and parenthood. Dalia comes from a British-Egyptian-Christian background and lives in London with her family. Listen as Mohsin and Dalia discuss with Ellen and Jenn: • Mohsin growing up in a devout Muslim family where being gay was not accepted. • Meeting the love of his life, Matthew, and together wanting to be parents. • Mohsin’s best friend, Dalia, offering to be a gestational surrogate for them, an offer they could hardly believe. • This journey sparked their podcast, Tiny Huge Decisions, following two best friends making this relationship-altering choice. Want to share your story or ask a question? Call and leave us a message on our hotline: [phone]. Listen to Tiny Huge Decisions: https://link.chtbl.com/TinyHugeDecisions Read Mohsin’s award-winning book, A Dutiful Boy: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/a-dutiful-boy-a-memoir-of-secrets-lies-and-family-love-winner-of-the-lambda-2021-literary-award-for-best-gay-memoir-biography-mohsin-zaidi/5716247?ean=9781529112207 Learn more about our podcast: https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/ Learn more about our surrogacy agencies: https://www.brightfuturesfamilies.com/ Get your IWTPABIY merch here! https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/merch Learn more about Ellen’s law firm: http://trachmanlawcenter.com/