Shidan

Shidan (any pronouns; gender neutral) was born into a Bahá'í family and enrolled when he turned 15. Shidan’s mother is from an Iranian family with a long history as Bahá'ís (among the notable members are Dr. Ali Murad Davudi), and his father became a Bahá'í in the 1980s and is from a Lutheran family of European descent.

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Shidan holds a BASc and PhD in Chemical Engineering, with a specialisation in sustainable polymer reaction engineering and green technology, and currently works as a chemist in the Canadian federal government, as well as serves on the faculty of the Bahá'í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE). Although engaged in a variety of Bahá'í activities, Shidan’s main avenues of service has been as a Bahá'í Children’s Class teacher and Junior Youth Empowerment Program animator.  Shidan is part of a nucleus of friends and family serving in a “focus neighbourhood” in Ottawa, Canada.

In 2015 Shidan went on pilgrimage for the second time, and it was here where they reflected on Queer prejudice in the Bahá'í community and on topics of love and marriage. This was the root of inspiration to engage in this work both through scholarship and in practice as a form of service. Between 2015 and 2021, Shidan was part of a group of Bahá'ís in Ottawa hosting workshops for local believers to explore Queerness and related topics. This evolved into the international effort A Single Heart. Shidan is married with a young child and enjoys photography, sports, hands-on hobbies, and movies/music/artful expression.

Although he does not identify as Queer, Shidan considers himself as not having a gender, or not conforming to gender expectations and norms, and simply sees this as part of his life as a Bahá'í. Shidan feels that although he is not always able to comfortably express his lack of gender, he does not receive prejudice or persecution for it.