Thread by @monaeltahawy

2yrs ago as part of Bradford LitFest, I spoke at a girls school. The first girl waiting to talk to me after was a 15yo Muslim girl who told me she was gay & feared her family would kill her if she came out. Schools need more not less classes on LGBT rights bbc.com/news/uk-englan…

I asked @ImaanLGBTQ how best to help the 15yo girl and they sent me info on a programme for LGBT youth in her area. I am glad to see more Muslim LGBT groups in the UK and in North America.

Young #LGBTQ Muslims must not be abandoned to the homophobia of the parents who have succeeded in canceling the classes nor to the racist and Islamophobic backlash that will invariably jump onto this as another reason to bash on Muslims.

In 2004, I attended a conference for #LGBTQ Muslims in #NYC. It was 1st ever conference of its kind I’d been to & was organized by al-Faatiha which I believe is no longer around. Since then, other Muslim LGBTQ groups have formed to offer support, incl inclusive prayer spaces, etc

A pivotal point for many #LGBTQ Muslims is the recognition that they’re caught between:
- homophobia of too many inside & outside the Muslim community
- racism & Islamophobia directed at Muslims generally, sometimes from the non-Muslim #LGBTQ community itself.
Keep that in mind.