Does Religion Prevent LGBTQ Acceptance? A Case Study with Queer and Trans Muslims in Toronto, Canada

This paper looks at the terms and conditions of acceptance for queer and trans Muslims in dominant Muslim groups. The social tension between LGBTQ Identity and religion is explored through ethnographic research with "hybrid" LGBTQ Muslim organizations and "non-hybrid" Muslim ones in Toronto, Canada. The study draws on forty-seven in-depth interviews conducted with leaders of both hybrid groups and non-hybrid ones, in order to explore (1) what the acceptance of LGBTQ Muslims constitutes, (2) whether acceptance is acquired/conferred, and (3) whether religion prevents acceptance. I measure degrees of acceptance by comparing non-hybrid interviewee responses to characteristics that constitute ideal types of "acceptance" and "non-acceptance." Responses are weighed against interviews with hybrid group leaders as well as participant-observation data. Results show a range of four acceptance levels for non-hybrid Muslim groups. The data also show that religious belief alone does not explain or account for acceptance.