STRAWBERELI'S QUEER MUSLIM TUMBLR MASTERPOST
(We found a Tumblr post so chock-full of articles and resources for LGBTQIA+ Muslims that we just had to share it with you. We are grateful to Elias for compiling this masterlist--the original version of the post can be found here on tumblr.)
This post pretty much came about because I was asked if I had resources for Muslims who were discovering or newly coming to terms with their sexuality. I didn’t, and the poor advice I had to offer was … poor. So, I pulled up a few of the blogs I followed that are targeted towards queer Muslims, and put together this little post for you!
Last updated: 02.16.17 (outdated info italicised)
Queer Muslim Blogs:
Ahwaa: An open space to debate LGBTQ-related issues in the Middle East
InQueeries channel with Yusef Woof (contact inqueeriesshow@gmail.com)
Queer Muslim 101:
A quick gender/sexuality 101 (An in-depth gender/sexuality/identity 201)
But what does a queer Muslim even look like? (hint: they look like people)
Defining homonationalism and pinkwashing. [A little bit more on pinkwashing.]
PDF:Homosexuality In Islam, by Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle (Intro + 1st Chap) Buy your own copy!
PDF:Muslim LGBT Inclusion Project, by Intersections International
More reading (a list w.some repeats): [x]
Why Safe Spaces are Important [reposted with permission from author]
“What about the Qur'an and Hadith that chastise LGBTQ Muslims?”
“You cherry pick your hadith!/You cherry pick from your religion!”
Some hadiths can be read in different ways, so it’s best to look at the outcome.
“But I was taught Islam was the most heterosexist religion."
”But all Muslims are homophobic!“ (spoiler alert: you’re wrong.)
”But Muslims hate sex - it’s ~dirty~ to them!“ (I would recommend this class for basic 101 on marriage and love [sex] in Islam. Take it with Basyouni.) (See also: x and x)
”Should I come out?“ (spoiler alert: that’s up to you!)
”Is there a place for LGBTQ Muslims?“ (Or ”There’s no place for LGBTQ Muslims/no organisations/no hope.“)
”Will LGBTQ Muslims go to hell?“ (spoiler alert: I’m not God, how would I know?)
”But it’s unnatural!“ (lolk)
”There aren’t any gay Imams or Sheikhs, so you’re just making things up!“ (Also here.) (And here.)
”But no fatwa was made!“ (It’s Wahabi.)
Indonesian fatwa [link broken, seeking replacement]
”But there are no inclusive mosques for LGBT Muslims!“ (Just stop. x)
Let’s repeat that: There is no place for homophobia in Islam.
See also: You decide how you interpret your religion.
Homosexuality in Predominately Muslim Countries (and some more on homosexuality in Pakistan)
Pride Parade in Bangladesh (Please remember "hijra” is a slur depending on where in South Asia a person is from – please ask before using it as a catchall!)
Predominately Muslim Countries who are taking steps toward equality. [x] [x, x] [x] [x] [x]
Queer Muslim Cinema: Azizah, Illuminations, Coming Out Muslim, A Jihad For Love, I Exist, Al-Nisa [BONUS: Show Al-Nisa and Red Summer (the producer) some love!], Circumstance, Naz + Maalik, Gay Muslims (a documentary produced by Channel 4 in the U.K), City of Borders, The Bubble, Out in the Dark (Palestinian and Israeli fall in love. facebook page), Facing Mirrors (2011; ft. an FtM Iranian), I Accept Me! (2011), Hir Poem, My Child. Sexualities and Queer Imaginaries. Oriented. [Article about Oriented, A Gay Girl in Damascus, and A Sinner in Mecca] [Muslim Drag Queens][Color of Water is trying to get funded]
Queer Muslim Music: Tum Hi Ho (by a drag artist in Lahore).
Queer Muslim Literature: [x] [x] [Four Gay Arabs Break the Silence] [Embracing Ramadhan in the LGBT Muslim Community] [Gaylaxy magazine] [Queer Beirut] [Sex and Desperate Hearts] [Bareed Mista3jil] [Totally Radical Muslims Zine] [5 Queer Magazines] [Not Your Tragic Queer Muslim Story/How to De-Queer Your Apartment] [Brown and Queer in America] [Queer South Asians and the Politics of Family] [A Thing of the West] [Coming Out in the Muslim Community] [Queer and Muslim At the Same Time] [9 articles on being LGBTQ in MENA] [Queering the Middle East] [Seeking Home: The Lives of Gay and Transgender Asylum Seekers of the Middle East] [Trans Muslim Honours His Faith] [Under the Gay Skin of Tehran] [Syrian and Iraqi Members of the LGBT Community Find Safe Haven in Istanbul] [Queer and Muslim] [On Community Spaces and Being A Trans Muslim] [‘Yousef and Farhad’ has been crafted by Algerian-American political cartoonist, Khalil Bendib, and Iranian-American author, Amir Soltani.] [Artist Mohammed Fayaz Draws Queer Muslims of Colour] [Xukia][Why I Can’t Quit Islam]
[Puu] webcomic about indian shi’a cuties
Queer Pakistan LGBTQ Voice and Support Group [and here is a news article]
A good thing to remember is to avoid the self-hatred phase, if you can. Focus on loving yourself, and realising that Allah made you just the way you are, and that you are loved, and that none of this is permanent. If this phase is unavoidable, here are some helpful sites:
Help! I’m losing my Islam
Online Crisis Network (for those with anxiety which prevents them from talking on the phone)
Lastly, here is a link if you are NOT a queer Muslim, but want to be a good ALLY! (And here is another on how NOT to be a saviour!) (And here is another on how to support a queer Muslim you happen to be dating!)