If studying-lgbtq-people inboxes you asking to take part in questions about LGBTQ people “to help her understand” DO NOT DO IT. It is Sophie M Herold, the girl from Germany who attacks LGBTQ people and outs them to others. She is transphobic, homophobic and one of the sickest…
When we ponder the concepts of religion and queerness, what images and issues come to mind?
In discussions involving religion and LGBT issues for QPOC, the focus in mainstream media has almost always been on Christian families, churches, and communities, and the degree to which they are…
I remember about a month ago, I was reading zhikr for my grandfather at my house after he has passed away. My uncle and a friend of his were also in the room, and they began discussing the state of Islam in the youth in this country. My uncle’s the deputy head of an islamic school and is very…
Submitted by ASSEM AL TAWDI, Age 34, San Francisco (www.arabs4tolerance.com)
Poetry titled: “Let Me Be” from his series “Poems by My 18-Year Old Self in Egypt”
Look at yourself -
Yes, reflect upon you.
Reflect upon me.
Can you see me now?
Am I there? All of me and not who you wish to…
is the most ridiculous reaction to homosexuality I have ever heard.
“It’s okay to have feelings that are absolutely harmless to anyone, but I want you to be miserable for my own comfort.”
“I’m not against you, I’m just against your happiness.”
“You’re not wrong, but you seeking love is wrong”
Grow up and face reality, homophobic Muslims.
“It was very hard, because we thought I was the only one here, and then after a while, we recognized that we are not alone…It was a relief.”
Since meeting a community of transgendered people in Ottawa, Nouri feels happier than when she first arrived in Canada from South Asia with her family several years ago. Nouri is 21 years old and she spends her time taking English classes – two a day! – and going to arts programs for trans newcomers at a local community centre. She has found it helpful to have somewhere to share the worries that she is facing, and especially likes being able to get together with other trans people to talk about challenges like finding employment. Most important, though, are the friendships that Nouri has made at the school she attends with her older sister: “Now I am very happy. We have a lot of friends there, and we are going, talking to them. And when I am absent, they are missing us.”
While friends have provided a sense of community, Nouri also has a number of different service providers in her life who support her and her family – a settlement worker, a translator, her teacher from the job skills training program and the doctor at the community health centre. Granaz, her teacher, has been especially helpful. Not only has she been discreet and confidential about Nouri’s gender identity, making her feel comfortable in class, but she has also helped to have her name changed from her legal male name to her chosen name, Nouri, on documents used at the agency.
Nouri also hopes to eventually change her name legally. Having a male name on government documents while living as a woman has created confusion in some situations, as well as discrimination when looking for a job: “For now it’s a problem because I am one person, and my name is another person. I was applying for some job, and I didn’t get it, because my real name is another, and they found out I have two names. This is our problem now but maybe, after the surgery, I hope to be done everything.” Another time, when Granaz was away, the substitute teacher read Nouri’s male name off the class list during roll call and caused her tremendous embarrassment and distress.
Sometimes helping Nouri negotiate negative attitudes about trans identity has its own negative consequences. For example, even Granaz, who Nouri likes so much, advised her to pretend that she only speaks English with people from her home country so that she won’t have to answer personal questions. While intended to maintain her privacy, this also means that Nouri is cut off from her community: “We were embarrassed sometimes. It’s hard for us to talk to people because everything was in change, and we didn’t know how to explain to them. In this way we keep a little bit separate.” At the same time, Nouri feels hopeful about her and her family’s life here. She finds strength in her faith – “It’s all coming from Allah. Allah helped us to come here and now I can change my gender, and this is our best wishes here.” – and with her English steadily improving and a good group of friends, Nouri’s next project is to take sewing classes to learn to make clothes!
Submitted by THE POSITIVE SPACES INITIATIVE, Toronto, Ontario (www.positivespaces.ca)
Photos of NOURI, PAULETTE, NICO & JOHAN
“Now I am very happy. We have a lot of friends there, and we are going, talking to them. And when I am absent, they are missing us.” -Nouri on the friendships she and her sister made at school, immigrated to Ottawa from South Asia
“It was about coming into my own and coming out to myself, in the open. I found that refreshing…You just go through it and you think about all the things you’ve been through and you’re like, wow, this is another step forward, wow, this is another step forward.” -Paulette reflecting on her life, immigrated to Canada from East Africa
“We’re shy, we’re nervous a lot, and to be gay. We’re new in school and if the teachers know and our classmates know…” (Nico) “They judge us, they will make fun of us.” (Johan) “And maybe they’ll leave us, so we don’t have any friends.” (Nico). -Nico & Johan on their fears about being accepted at school, immigrated to Barrie from Asia
Read more of their stories here.
About the Project:
The Untold Stories Project was a research component conducted in the first phase of The Positive Spaces Initiative. Our aim was to document the ‘untold stories’ and experiences of LGBTQ immigrants, refugees, service providers and allies.
About the Program:
The Positive Spaces Initiative (PSI) was developed by Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) to share resources and increase organizational capacity across the sector to more effectively serve LGBTQ newcomers. OCASI recognizes the strengths of its member agencies and strives to support all agencies to create Positive Spaces. The initiative is grounded in the understanding that LGBTQ newcomers are often a part of multiple communities and seek welcoming service regardless of age, race, cultural community, faith or religion, disability, gender, status, etc. The strength of Positive Spaces is in creating an environment which strives to understand the overlapping and intersecting nature of our communities.
Ani Zonneveld, the Co-Founder & President of the U.S-based non-profit organization “Muslims for Progressive Values” (MPV), says she knows it gets better because there’s a community for LGBT Muslims. MPV has an LGBT Outreach Program, which is led by Imaan Daayiee Abdullah, who happens to be gay. The organization partners with other organizations like the Human Rights Campaign to fight for equality and has recently praised President Obama for coming out in support of Marriage Equality!
i am definately still receiving asks
just know i answer most of my asks from my personal tumblr inbox cause that’s where i see them, and sometimes they get eaten before i get a chance to see them.
tumblr aint perfect y’all
so if i haven’t answered feel free to send it again
A Tumblr by & for Queer Muslims - celebrating our dual identities.
This is not a space for debate or where we will feel compelled to justify our existence. This is a place for us to express ourselves without fear, to share resources, and to connect with other queer Muslims.
Asks should keep the above in mind. We reserve the right to ignore asks, no matter how "polite", that deviate from our mission of a positive space for us. Negativity, "nasiha", name-calling, takfiring, questioning of our level of Islamic knowledge, and demands for us to justify our existence will NOT be published here or responded to. If people have personal questions/comments for the moderators that step outside the positive & affirming mission of this blog, they should go to our personal Tumblrs (though we make no promises that we will entertain you there either!)
