Queer Muslims Will Gather In Delhi For A Special Iftaar To Celebrate Their Faith And Identity

People are gradually getting to know that June is quite an eventful month for many. It's not only marking the second half of the Holy fasting month of Ramzan, but also being observed as the Pride Month for the LGBTQ community in many countries, where there is a presence of the members of this community.

US Embassy

This tradition started way back in the 1970s. It was in the June of 1969, when a popular Gay bar in Manhattan was raided one night, which resulted in violence between the patrons and the Police. Soon after, Manhattan¡¯s LGBT community took to the streets to make themselves heard which unfortunately led to the riots, which then went on to be known as the Stonewall riots. Exactly one year later, the first pride parade took place in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, commemorating the anniversary of the riots and to bring the legacy of LGBTQ in the forefront.

What is Pride Month and how is it celebrated?

urbanmatter.com

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer is the full form of the acronym LGBTQ. Pride is a 30-day long celebration of the community, protests and act of political activism, which now takes place in many parts of the world including India. Most of the cities host a big event which has lots of colours, rainbow floats, glitter, colourful costumes etc and several dance parties, poetry readings, drag shows and other activities are organised for people to participate.

What is The Queer Muslim Project and what is its relevance?

slate.com

In a quest to bring conversations of identity and acceptance, this Delhi-Based group decided to raise a voice and make themselves heard. Between the struggles of their faith and sexual orientation, it is an important intersection wherein different aspects of their identities and experiences which are otherwise silenced or buried under the societal norms and conformity, are given a platform.

As per their FB description,

Ramzan represents peace, hope, patience and kindness, and Queer Pride signifies our resolve to celebrate our diverse identities and experiences in a world that constantly tries to contain us within binaries. As LGBTQ Muslim individuals, we also reject the hate that is constantly fueled to keep various communities divided across lines of difference in our country.

kaoslg.org

To break the shackles of ¡®hate and bigotry¡¯, The Queer Muslim Project is all set to celebrate the true spirit of Ramzan and Queer Pride together. In the form of an Iftaar which will be held on Saturday, a gathering is being called upon to discuss, strategize and create a platform for a dialogue so that deliberation can be made about the issues faced by LGBTQ. Especially, the need to provide support to the individuals within the community.