The Suicide of Egyptian Queer Activist Sarah Hegazi in the News: A Comparative Analysis of the Coverage in Egyptian, Lebanese, and American Media

This study is a textual analysis of Egyptian queer activist Sarah Hegazi’s suicide in 2020. Based on a grounded theory approach, qualitative analysis was performed on 23 media articles from Egypt, Lebanon, and the United States, with particular focus on episodic/thematic frames and the stigma/stigma-challenging frames due to their significance in studies about mental illness. The main findings reveal that Egypt had the highest stigma frames coupled with the lowest sympathy theme and the least attack on the Egyptian regime, whereas US and Lebanese outlets displayed high sympathy and vehemently attacked the Egyptian regime. Further, the study explains the findings in relation to country media systems. The significance of the study lies in its analysis of media coverage in three countries to help us understand how Arab and American media discuss the intersection of mental health and queerness in the Arab world. It also enriches the health communication literature as the first study to analyze the framing of the suicide of an Arab woman outside the context of war.