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Mohsin's memoir A Dutiful Boy was described as utterly compelling and a book that will save lives. A former successful criminal barrister, his journey from an impoverished part of east London and a strict Muslim household encapsulates lessons and experiences in mental health, faith, social mobility, sexuality, and ultimately the power of hope and humanity to overcome seemingly impossible odds.
View / SubmitA really powerful session which inspired the audience. Very inspiring message about being your true self at work, and sharing stories of how he came to write his book. It's a shame he couldn't be there in person. We also had a lot of positive feedback on how powerful the message was about equality and inclusion.
Haymarket Media Group
Mohsin Zaidi is a former barrister, campaigner, and writer. Alongside working on a range of high profile national and international criminal cases, he is an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, BAME representation and social mobility. Mohsin sits on the board of Stonewall, and is listed by The Financial Times as a top future LGBTQ+ leader.
The first student from his school to go to Oxford University, Mohsin’s achievement was tempered by his struggles to adjust to a world radically different from his impoverished part of east London and his strict Muslim home life. He recounts the challenges, and effects on him and his mental health, as he attempted to reconcile who he felt he was, including his sexuality, with where he had come from. His is a story of change, acceptance and humanity drawn together with inspirational fortitude, hope, and some humour.
He subsequently qualified as a lawyer at Linklaters and is now a management consultant at advisory firm Hakluyt. He has also previously worked at a UN War Crimes tribunal in The Hague and as Judicial Assistant to Lord Sumption and Lord Wilson at the UK’s Supreme Court.
The memoir A Dutiful Boy, was Mohsin’s debut as a mainstream writer. It won the Polari Prize, the Lambda Literary Award and was named Guardian, GQ, and New Statesman’s Book of the Year, providing a personal insight into issues of diversity and inclusion, mental health, and justice. On his podcast Tiny Huge Decisions, Mohsin and his best friend Dalia discuss whether she will make a potentially relationship altering choice and be the gestational surrogate for him and his husband.
A regular commentator on Sky News, Mohsin also writes for CNN Style, The i Newspaper, Bustle, Mr Porter, and Newsweek. He was listed in The Lawyer Magazine Hot 100 and Attitude magazine named him a trailblazer changing the world.
