Gay people are reclaimg an Islamic herage

Contents:

• ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
• COMG OUT: GROWG UP GAY AND MLIM AMERI
• JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
• MEET AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM
• IN A SURVEY OF AMERIN MLIMS, 0% INTIFIED AS LBIAN OR GAY. HERE’S THE STORY BEHD THAT STATISTIC
• MAJORY OF AMERIN MLIMS NOW SUPPORT LBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE
• GAY PEOPLE ARE RECLAIMG AN ISLAMIC HERAGE
• AFFIRMG MOSQU HELP GAY MLIMS RENCILE FAH, SEXUALY
• WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE GAY AND MLIM AMERI

ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL

Vcent and the Grenad, where gay sex is still crimalized. From homelsns to ongog physil and verbal abe, the gay muny the small natn of some 100, 000 people says is unr nstant threat. While rarely voked, the rights group and a lol activist said the laws help legimize hostily and abe agast gay people.

COMG OUT: GROWG UP GAY AND MLIM AMERI

In July 2019, two gay men om St. Vcent who are livg abroad filed a se to challenge lol laws crimalizg gay sex that activists say should be stck down. Human Rights Watch terviewed more than 20 members of the island’s LGBTQ muny who shared their stori but were not intified to protect them, notg that lol police are often openly discrimatory toward gay people who seek help.

One gay man relled how his classmat beat him and broke his arm. Several reported that their fai are homophobic and physilly and verbally abed them, g them to bee homels and promptg some to nsir suici.

Many also stggle to fd jobs amid a high unemployment rate and said they face discrimatn, cludg a 19-year-old gay man who said he has rorted to beggg: “Sometim I am so hungry. It is hard for me as a gay this untry.

JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

Six English-speakg natns the Caribbean still crimalize gay sex, cludg Domi, Jamai, Guyana, Grenada and St. Gonsalv prevly noted there’s been a history of discrimatn agast gay people. That kd of irratnal homophobia is entirely unacceptable.

González wh Human Rights Watch noted that 2019, the ernment held a workshop for public employe on the importance of rpectg gay rights, a rare move for a nservative Caribbean natn. Unable to rencile beg gay wh his fah, he stepped away om Islam. “I did try to divorce myself om Islam bee I was gay, ” says Omar, who asked to be intified by only his first name.

MEET AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY IMAM

“Growg up, I was tght that beg gay was not OK … You were pletely exmunited or lived on the g or had to e up wh a lot of solutns that weren’t hont. Sce movg to New York Cy five years ago, Omar has lived as an openly gay man. Tradnally, Islam do not tolerate homosexualy.

“Beg Mlim — ’s not safe to be gay sometim, ” Omar said. “First and foremost, I am gay, “ he said, “who happens to be a person of lor, who happens to be raised Mlim.

IN A SURVEY OF AMERIN MLIMS, 0% INTIFIED AS LBIAN OR GAY. HERE’S THE STORY BEHD THAT STATISTIC

Imam Chenor Jalloh of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York, the cy’s largt mosque, said the doors are always open to gay Mlims. The imam offers this advice to Mlim parents of gay children: “Love them.

Dpe his temperance, Jalloh suggts that time, gay youths n change. “I nnot say that people are born gay. It is this view and mixed msag that often leave young gay Mlims feelg nfed and alone, torn between the fear of beg disowned by fay and fah and nyg their sexual inti.

And given the myriad social challeng facg Amerin Mlims general, om ernment monorg to discrimatn, the prsur n leave some gay Mlims feelg like a dual mory, isolated wh and outsi their muni. But some young gay Mlims are challengg this arrangement, risg the fields of polics, media, art and activism and workg to create a more clive Amerin Islam.

MAJORY OF AMERIN MLIMS NOW SUPPORT LBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE

In New York she found support both her gay muny and her relign. And while the tradn remas that homosexualy is a s Islam, there is a growg movement of scholars, activists and relig lears rereadg sourc and pullg om them ias of tolerance and social change.

“The tth is that durg Prophet Muhammad’s days, he appoted the first female imam, and gay people were not persecuted for beg gay, ” said Ani Zonneveld, founr of Mlims for Progrsive Valu, a Los Angel–based anizatn that advot for women’s rights and lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr equaly. She is a trailblazer, helpg create the kd of safe spac Islam that young gay Mlims like Omar and Sara seek, has officiated at the Islamic weddg of a lbian uple and challeng the tablishment by leadg prayers — a task women are tradnally not allowed to do.

GAY PEOPLE ARE RECLAIMG AN ISLAMIC HERAGE

Now 30 and livg as an openly gay man, Omar still hasn’t explicly e out to his parents.

But he thks they know he’s gay. “And this sounds silly, but even on social media, on Facebook, I’ll let some pictur go on there that uld really be perceived as gay, and my fay n see that.

-- Jaguars assistant strength and ndng ach Kev Maxen has bee the first male ach major Amerin men's profsnal sports to publicly e out as gay, tellg he ma the cisn bee he didn't want to hi who he is any longer and to possibly spire others siar 's a cisn and move that drew praise and support om owner Shad Khan, who was a vol and emphatic supporter of a cy ordance that expand protectns on the grounds of sexual orientatn, genr inty and genr exprsn. Outsi lebacker Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player to e out as gay and to play a game Associated Prs ntributed to this report.

AFFIRMG MOSQU HELP GAY MLIMS RENCILE FAH, SEXUALY

But Imam Daayiee Abdullah – believed to be the only openly gay imam the Ameris – is proud of his story.

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE GAY AND MLIM AMERI

But as a gay man Ameri, he saw that lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr Mlims had unmet spirual needs and he beme an imam to provi muny support.

"Beg an openly gay imam and havg been intified as such, I do get a lot of feedback and also kickback, but that's OK, " said Imam Daayiee Abdullah, of Washgton, D. Performg funeral r for a gay Mlim who died of AIDS.