Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity (MASGD) Resource Guide
MASGD has compiled a basic resource guide for LGBTQ+ Muslims. Each category provides a link to the organization’s website, a description of what services they provide, and includes annotations that specify if they are geared towards Muslim people of specific descent/identities (e.g. Black, South Asian, South West Asian, or North African) or if they have resources to accommodate our diverse and complex identities and experiences. **All included providers/services/resources have been minimally vetted in terms of quality of experience for LGBTQ Muslim people. Please note this list is not comprehensive and MASGD as an organization does not expressly endorse any of the following providers/services. This guide does not replace counseling or other forms of therapy and is simply offered as a community resource that we hope to build upon in the future. If there is a resource you are aware of that you don't see listed here, please contact us at hey@themasgd.org. Helplines and Hotlines
Crisis Textline
What is it?
Crisis Text Line serves anyone, in any type of crisis, providing access to free, 24/7 support and information via textWhat can they help me with?
Moving from a “hot moment” to a cool calm.
Guidance through creating a plan to stay safe and healthy.
Are they aware of issues affecting queer Muslims?
Not specifically, their main concern is to help you find a calm space to be in.Cost: FreeWhat is it?
A South Asian LGBTQ focused helpline run by a trained staff of volunteers. They include folks from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Burma, the Maldives and Tibet, as well as diaspora/immigrant communities all over the world.What can they help me with?
Questions on gender, identity, coming out.
Dealing with family, culture, or faith.Trying to find community in local areas.Finding a good doctor, lawyer, or therapist.Advice for a friend or family member.Listening as callers work through things.
Are they aware of issues affecting queer Muslims?
Given the huge presence of Muslims in South Asia, many of the volunteers are aware and can understand the intersections of Islam and queerness, as well as other complicated faith, sexuality and gender-based relationships.Phone
(908)367-3374Staffed by volunteers: Thursdays & Sundays 8:00 - 10:00 pm EST (5:00 - 7:00 pm PST)Contact form Cost: FreeWhat is it?
GLBT National Help Center provides vital peer-support, community connections and resource information to people with questions regarding sexual orientation and/or gender identity.What can they help me with?
GLBT National HotlineGLBT National Youth TalklineSAGE LGBT Elder HotlinePrivate, volunteer one-to-one online chat, that helps both youth and adults with coming-out issues, safer-sex information, school bullying, family concerns and relationship problemsA transgender-specific online chat group for teens
Are they aware of issues affecting queer Muslims?
The GLBT National Help Center states that they are able to deal with all forms of discrimination concerning queer identity and intersections of faith and identity.Phone
1-888-843-4564 (GLBT National Hotline)1-800-246-7743 (GLBT National Youth Hotline)1-888-234-7243 (SAGE | Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders)Online chat Trans Teens online chat group Hours
Monday-Friday 1pm-9pm PST (4pm-12am EST) Saturday 9am-2pm PST (12pm-5pm EST)Cost: FreeWhat is it?
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.What can they help me with?
Resources that include questions regarding gender identity and sexual exploration.Volunteers are trained to point callers towards resources within their local areas that are specifically geared towards their concerns and needs.They are a 24/7 suicide-prevention hotline and are quick to respond to phone calls.They are also available for texts, chats and even have a social networking site specifically geared to younger LGBTQ youth seeking support and advice.
Are they aware of issues affecting queer Muslims?
While they do not advertise specifically to queer people of color or queer Muslims, they can still very much guide you to mental health resources in your area that specifically work with Muslim, Arab and/or SWANA (South West Asian North African) queer and trans individuals.What is it?
Trans Lifeline is a non-profit dedicated to the well being of transgender people.What can they help me with?
Hotline staffed by transgender people for transgender people.Trans Lifeline volunteers are ready to respond to whatever support needs members of the trans community might have.They will only call emergency services with your expressed consent.They are politically well-informed and aware of the range and diversity of issues affecting trans people of color.
Are they aware of issues affecting queer Muslims?
Trans Lifeline is committed to educating themselves around the concerns of transgender folks and have published a survey that may allow them to specifically think about the concerns of trans people who identify as Muslim. [View the survey]Phone
US: (877) 565-8860Canada: (877) 330-6366Cost: FreeMental Health Provider Directories
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network (NQTTCN)
What is it?
The National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network (NQTTCN) is a space for queer, gender non-conforming and trans therapists of color to build, resource, and support one another as clinicians and healers.What can they help me with?
Provide a network of support for queer and trans people of color (QTPoC) seeking. transformative mental health resources rooted in social justice and liberation.Supporting QTPoC to utilize their relationships and collective power to build capacity for healing in their communities.An easy-to-use directory that can point people to therapists in their local area.
What is it?
NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. The link above can point you to their page dedicated specifically to African American Mental Health resources.How can they help me?
Toll-free NAMI HelpLine.Free referral, information and support.Services specifically geared towards people of color and LGBTQ people.
Are they aware of issues affecting queer Muslims?
Their emphasis is on helping you find the right mental health resources for your needs including your cultural, ethnic or faith based group. While they do not talk specifically about Muslim or SWANA folks they have a page on the needs of Diverse Communities and a tip-sheet on how to find therapists that understand your cultural needs.What is it?
A database of SF Bay Area Psychotherapists of Color that is constantly being added to, building a referral resource to help connect our communities to healing and mental health support.What can they help me with?
Directory for San Francisco Bay Area residents listing therapists who work specifically with communities of color. It provides information on which specific communities these are, for example therapists who queer and Muslim offer their services specifically to LGBTQ Muslims.Service listing opportunity for therapists of color based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Are they aware of issues affecting queer Muslims?
Yes, the directory includes a considerable number of people who can help queer Muslims deal with issues specific to their cultural and spiritual contexts.Contact
No direct contact methodCost
These resources are not free but almost all therapists offer their services based on a sliding scale.What is it?
Ebony is a black-focused magazine that has compiled a list of mental health resources for Black people organized by state.What can they help me with?
Resources in each state that are equipped to help Black people receive culturally-competent mental health care.
Are they aware of issues affecting queer Muslims?
Not specifiedContact
No direct contact method Cost
Directory is free; therapist fees vary.What can they help me with?
MENTAL HEALTH: This article features many Culturally Specific Directories & Search Engines at the end of the article that one could look through when searching for a therapist with similar identities as them.
About
Article by Jeff Baker.Location
Online Article DatabaseIn-Person Groups
Feminine-of-Center Middle Eastern Queer Womyn Trans (FOCMEQWT )
What is it?
A safe space for [feminine of center] middle-eastern queer womyn and trans minorities to share their personal stories, struggles, and triumphs of surviving modern day challenges unique to this demographic(s); in hopes of fostering compassion and understanding through community support among those who may share similar experiences and/or face similar challenges.
What can they help me with?
In-person meetings for people in the San Francisco Bay Area, providing with a network of like-minded others and a strong base and supportive community. Their group of objective is co-create safe spaces for open discussions around those who share similar identities, stories and struggles.
Are they aware of issues affecting Queer Muslims?
YesPhone
510-548-8283In Person
Meetings at the Pacific Center in Berkeley [map]2712 Telegraph Avenue Berkeley, CA 94705Cost: FreeWhat is it?
A group for support, personal growth and belonging, exploring unique influences and ways of being, which are both gay and Middle Eastern. Meets twice a month in San Francisco. What can they help me with?
Resources for Arabs within the U.S. and more specifically the San Francisco Bay AreaGroup for men in the San Francisco Bay AreaDevelop healthy and emotional relationships with other men.Find a sense of belonging and support.Increase cultural understanding.Make friends with men who share a similar cultural background.
Are they aware of issues affecting Queer Muslims?
Most definitely. While some queer gay and Arab groups tend to shy away from or have negative feelings toward faith, GMEM are open to discussions surrounding faith.Online Contact FormCost: FreeWhat is it?
For individuals in the Bay Area, this spot can be a great place to meet and discuss issues surrounding many aspects of queer life and diversity including being a queer Muslim in the U.S. Their mental health meetups can help people interact with others going through similar issues and traumas.What can they help me with?
Resources and information on how to connect with different queer groups.Resources that are specifically focused on queer people of color, including several Muslim groups or groups with cross overs.In-person groups.
Are they aware of issues facing queer Muslims?
Yes. They can guide people to resources that can be even more specific.Online Resources
The resources provided below are not for matters of urgency but can provide reading or viewing material that can aid in dealing with both issues of mental health and allow people to educate themselves on how to talk about queerness and faith.
Color Lines - Self Care
An online article put together to guide people of color through unsteady times when people are feeling the heat of the system. This guide can help people on their journey to self care, giving simple but effective advice.
Transnational Queer Underground
What is it?
A website dedicated to criticizing racism, classism, ableism, sexism, hetero/homonormativity and other forms of oppression by members using their preferred means of expression (drawing, writing, singing, painting, photos, comics, films, etc.) in order to connect with each other and exchange their ideas and experiences. Anonymous participation is permitted.What can they help me with?
Online resource guide with the specific intent of connecting people to queer movements around the world.Gallery project for queer artists
Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV)
What is it?
MPV endorses the human and civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) individuals. They support full equality and inclusion of all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, in society and in the Muslim community.What can they help me with?
Resources for/about LGBTQI Muslims, including articles, books, websites, videos and more14-part video lecture series by Imam Daayiee Abdullah that dismantles the religious justification for homophobia in Muslim communities with medical, social and religious history.Links to international LGBTQI organizationsLinks to LGBTQI-supportive organizations in the U.S.
Are they aware of issues affecting Queer Muslims?
Yesinfo@mpvusa.org Cost: FreeText
Islamic Texts: A Source for Acceptance of Queer Individuals into Mainstream Muslim Society [PDF]What is it?
Article by Imam Muhsin Hendricks that serves as a guide into both Qur’an and tradition.What can it help me with?
Can help individuals come to terms with what their faith says about gender identity versus what individuals have been taught.