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Muslim Alliance

The Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity (MASGD) was founded in 2013 to support and empower LGBTQ Muslims who often face discrimination both within their ethnic/religious communities as well as in mainstream LGBTQ spaces. MASGD seeks to challenge misogyny, xenophobia and other root causes behind this double discrimination.

MASGD emerged out of a task force initiated in 2011 by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force which brought together diverse LGBTQ Muslims to discuss needs and challenges. Participants quickly recognized the lack of dedicated Muslim-centered organizations serving this community, especially ones led by LGBTQ Muslims themselves. After months of planning, the task force officially launched MASGD at the 2013 Creating Change conference.

The MASGD steering committee consists of 10 highly engaged members with diverse backgrounds, talents and experiences as both LGBTQ people and devout Muslims. The committee is divided into teams handling organizational development, finance, community building and communications/PR under the guidance of two rotating co-coordinators.

Key activities include hosting the annual LGBTQ Muslim Retreat, managing an online peer support community, creating inclusive mosque guides, providing media commentary/interviews to increase Muslim LGBTQ visibility, developing theological resources centered on equality & inclusion, delivering cultural competency trainings for Muslim leaders, facilitating panels at universities, and building alliances with other progressive Muslim organizations.

With dedicated Muslim leadership and a multifaceted approach, MASGD aims to foster full acceptance of gender and sexual diversity within local mosques and global Muslim communities. The organization grounds its advocacy in an understanding of Islam that celebrates diversity as part of divine creation, upholds social justice as essential virtue, and honors the inherent worth of all human beings.