In discussions involving religion and LGBT issues for QPOC, the focus in mainstream media has almost always been on Christian families, churches, and communities, and the degree to which they are homophobic or transphobic. If we hear anything about queer Muslims, it’s sensationalized e.g. a viral link about a gay Iranian man being sentenced to death, or the number of lashes you’d receive for being a “practicing homosexual” in Muslim countries.
But when do we ever hear from queer Muslims themselves, about their everyday lives, about their hardships and triumphs, their families and lovers–or, simply, what keeps them centered, devout, inspired?
Here at QWOC Media Wire, we want to hear from LGBTQI people of color, diaspora, and other ethnic/racial minorities who identify as Muslim and/or were raised practicing Islam.
Whether you’re a Muslim born into an Uygher family, are a convert from another religion, identify as a queer Muslim from an African country, were raised Muslim but identify as spiritual etc. — whatever the case may be — we want you to be able to share, in your own words, your experiences and thoughts on religion, culture, sexuality, and everyday life.
Additionally, if you practice another religion, faith, and/or spirituality that you feel isn’t as readily discussed in public forums, such as Hinduism or Sikhism, Wicca, African Traditional Religions, Baha’i etc. we would love to hear from you as well!
IMPORTANT: Please keep in mind, the purpose of this call for submissions is not to get into a religious discussion; we don’t want to debate religion, we want to hear about how many of us reconcile the various parts of our identities as diaspora, sexual minorities, and spiritual/religious people. We want to create a space where people can share their experiences, not defend them.
Submissions can be in the form of prose, poetry, a stream of consciousness, a rant, an ode, or any other form of media. What’s most important is that it reflects you, your words, your lives.
Here are some examples of LGBTQI women of color and gender non-conforming folks we’d like to hear from:
- Muslims who grew up in the global south
- Muslim feminists who also identify as queer women of color
- People who were raised in Muslim families but converted, or don’t “practice”
- People who practice religion/spirituality outside of Islam and Christianity e.g. African, Buddhism, Hinduism
- Do you identify as a QPOC and a convert to Islam?
- Do you identify as another religion that has not been focused on in queer media, such as Hinduism or Buddhism?
Interested?
Please email us at submissions@qwocmediawire.com with your name, nationality, religion, how you identity ethnically, your sexual orientation/gender identity (if you wish), and what kind of piece you’d like to submit.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries/ submissions: submissions@qwocmediawire.com
Website: http://www.qwoc.org
This blog is no longer updated. Please instead visit Writers For Diversity for new opportunities for women/ LGBT writers and writers of color. Thank you.
