As debates about sexuality, gender, race, and identity spark intense conversations, what happens when culture, faith, and queerness intersect? For queer Muslims, this intersection often brings social rejection, cultural stigma, and even threats to safety. Yet, it is also a space where resilience, love, and courage shine, challenging the forces that seek to exclude them.

At The Conduit, in partnership with the Naz and Matt Foundation, we’ll amplify voices from this remarkable community. Meet Saima, a proud Pakistani mother of two LGBTQ+ children breaking barriers with Rainbow Chai, a support group for South Asian parents. Alongside Saima, hear powerful, heartfelt stories of queer Muslims who have faced incredible adversity and found ways to embrace strength, belonging, and hope.

Led by Matt Mahmood-Ogston, founder of the Naz and Matt Foundation, uncover the struggles faced by queer Muslims and explore how allies and changemakers can help build safer, more inclusive spaces.

Event Schedule

6:00pm: Pre-event socialising and networking

A cash bar will be available for refreshments.

6:15pm: Event begins

7:30pm: Event ends

Speakers:

Saima Chishti‘s journey began when her two children came out as LGBT. As a Pakistani mother, she faced judgment from conservative community members but chose love over culture. After feeling isolated during this time, she founded Rainbow Chai, a support group where South Asian parents like her could find understanding. Today, she guides others through their own acceptance journeys, creating a community where cultural heritage and LGBTQI+ identity can thrive together.

Asad Zafar is a queer non-binary Pakistani muslim living in London. Their existence is activism and identity is political. With their lived experience & intersecting identities, Asad coordinates outreach activity for The Love Tank, a community interest company promoting the health and wellbeing needs and addressing health inequity and inequality amongst underserved communities in London.

Alif Trevathan (she/her) is an inclusion and belonging specialist, with a proven academic and professional background in community management and EDI work. She is an MA graduate of Transnational Queer and Feminist Politics from SOAS university with a particular focus on the harmonious relationship possible between Islam and queerness.

Matt Mahmood-Ogston is the founder and CEO of Naz and Matt Foundation, a small grassroots charity that tackles homophobia, triggered by religion or culture, to help conservative parents accept their LGBTQI+ children. The foundation is primarily a support organisation that works to reduce the early causes of suicide ideation and homelessness, supporting victims and survivors of honour based abuse, LGBTQ+ forced marriage and conversion practices. The charity was set up in 2014 following the sad loss of Matt’s fiancé and soulmate, Naz, who took his own life two days after his deeply religious family confronted him about his sexuality.

The Naz and Matt Foundation is a small multi award-winning charity that tackles homophobia, triggered by religion or culture, to help conservative parents accept their LGBTQI+ children. The charity was set up in 2014 following the sad loss of Matt Mahmood-Ogston’s, the charity’s founder, fiancé and soulmate, Naz, who took his own life two days after his deeply religious family confronted him about his sexuality. The foundation’s core focus is building bridges of understanding within families where religion or culture is affecting a parent’s ability to accept their LGBTQI+ child. They work to reduce suicide ideation, address the early stages of homelessness, support victims and survivors of honour based abuse, asylum, LGBTQ+ forced marriage and conversion practices.

In addition to monthly support groups for LGBTQI+ individuals and parents from religious and culturally conservative backgrounds, they provide a wide range of trauma informed 1-2-1 support services. Every year on the 30th July, they organise Out and Proud Parents Day, a global event celebrating proud parents who have accepted their LGBTQI+ children. In 2021 we reached nearly 1.7 million people with the event.

They host Rainbow Chai, a friendly and welcoming monthly parent-led support group for parents of South Asian heritage who have LGBTQI+ children.