"Our existence is not a paradox. It's not controversial. It just is." — Founder, London’s Queer Muslim Association
At London Pride, the founder of London’s Queer Muslims Association (LQMA) sometimes hands out stickers and zines in support of queer Muslims. People stop to take photos. “I’m gonna show this to my friend,” they tell her. “She’s gonna love this. She doesn’t know folks like this exist.”
That friend may not be ready to join LQMA yet. Some people tell the founder they aren’t ready or don’t feel safe, and she respects their pace. But she believes being visible still matters. “Us existing and being like we’re here and we’re ready for you, and having allies share our work and reach more people, and when they’re ready, they come to us,” she says. “That is just really why this work matters to me.”
Born From a Hard Moment
LQMA began in May 2022, in response to homophobia, Islamophobia, and transphobia toward queer Muslims. That month, around the International Day Against Homophobia, Western University shared a post featuring queer Muslim women. It drew a wave of hate.
That moment brought despair, but “it also created hope and anger at the same time to mobilize me into action.” A queer Muslim herself, she reached out to local organizations and community members and found she wasn’t the only one angry at that hate. “I thought I was alone in it.” What started as a group of three became four, then five, and it kept growing slowly over the years.
Small, Private, and Strong
Today LQMA is a grassroots, safe social space for queer, transgender, and LGBTQ+ Muslims, ex-Muslims, and culturally Muslim people in London, Ontario. They live at intersections where there is “often no safety in the queer community or the Muslim community.”
Many members are not out publicly, so LQMA grows carefully. New members join through someone they know or after meeting organizers in person, and nothing is posted publicly. The group now has about 40 members, including newcomers, first- and second-generation immigrants, people born and raised in Canada, and converts to Islam. Partners such as London InterCommunity Health Centre refer people who need this space, which helps newcomers feel safe joining.
“We’re small but very strong community,” she says. “We’re very tight knit.”
“Being Connected Has Saved Me”
What stays with the founder most are the conversations with members after a couple of months in the group. Some arrived facing very difficult mental health struggles, feeling there was no belonging for them in the world. Later, they tell her that being connected has saved them.
Representation is a big part of that. Younger members see queer Muslims just a few years older and think, “That’s gonna be me in a few years.” For the founder, those stories show the deep impact of safe, non-judgmental spaces. “It really saves lives.”
The need hasn’t gone away. She recently welcomed a new member who had been considering leaving London to find queer Muslim community elsewhere. “It just reminds me how important this work is.”
A Gala to Remember
To celebrate three years, LQMA held a gala at Innovation Works through Pillar’s Inclusive Community Events Program (ICEP). “Having Pillar on our side just kind of helped me up on my feet and helped me still create that space with my community,” she says.
Because LQMA is so grassroots, it usually takes whatever venue it can get. This time was different. “It was fancier than anything we’ve ever done,” she says. “I didn’t even have to bring decor. I just brought the food and the people.”
For the founder, the care mattered most. Maria Luisa, from Pillar, was “so kind and compassionate” and understood LQMA’s safety and privacy needs, with no judgment. She was even a step ahead, offering LQMA a space for prayer before they asked about it. Gestures like that “seem small,” the founder says, “but they were big.”
The downtown location mattered too, since it is central by car and easy to reach by bus. Members still ask, “Can we do another one?”
What Comes Next
LQMA also makes art together, including zines and art prints, and one of its prints was shown at Museum London in 2023. “Art is very healing and it also provides representation for our community.”
Partners help keep the work going. Sagecomm and Western University were key in funding and supporting LQMA’s early vision. Anova hosted the City of London grassroots grant that was LQMA’s first formal funding. Queer Intersections paid for the venue for one of its events this year, and LQMA is collaborating with the Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support & Integration (MRCSSI) on a new project to address gender-based violence in Muslim communities. For the founder, that is the value of a network. “Connection closes gaps.”
After a slower year, LQMA is hopeful about reigniting the passion and connecting with more people. Somewhere in London are people who have seen those stickers at Pride and aren’t ready to reach out yet. They are, as the founder puts it, “celebrating and watching from the side.” When they’re ready, LQMA will be there.
Learn more about LQMA at https://www.instagram.com/lqmaldn/.