{"id":51369,"date":"2026-02-19T03:53:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T02:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ket.brussels\/?p=51369"},"modified":"2026-02-20T15:56:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T14:56:13","slug":"ramadan-faith-and-queerness-why-this-holy-month-also-belongs-to-lgbt-muslims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ket.brussels\/fr\/2026\/02\/19\/ramadan-faith-and-queerness-why-this-holy-month-also-belongs-to-lgbt-muslims\/","title":{"rendered":"Ramadan, Faith and Queerness: Why This Holy Month Also Belongs to LGBT+ Muslims"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Ramadan begins, much of the media talks about food, fasting and \u201ccommunity values\u201d<\/a> \u2013 but rarely about queer and trans Muslims who also enter this holy month with their faith, their doubts and their identities. For an LGBT+ audience in Belgium, where Muslim and queer realities often coexist in the same families, schools and night\u2011life, it\u2019s worth taking a closer look at what Ramadan actually is, and how some people are quietly reinventing it for themselves.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Ramadan Is Really About<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and commemorates the first revelation of the Qur\u2019an to the Prophet Muhammad, traditionally associated with the \u201cNight of Power\u201d (Laylat al\u2011Qadr). During this month, adult Muslims who are able to do so are expected to fast from dawn to sunset: no food, no drink, no smoking, no sex, and an effort to avoid gossip, insults and harmful behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the rules, Ramadan is meant to sharpen spiritual awareness. The fast is supposed to cultivate self\u2011discipline, empathy for those who are hungry, and a renewed commitment to justice and generosity, for example through charity (zakat, sadaqa) and sharing iftar, the evening meal that breaks the fast. The idea of setting aside a month each year to step back from consumption and focus on care, solidarity and reflection is something many queer people can relate to, even if they don\u2019t identify as religious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, fasting is not unique to Islam. Jewish, Christian and pre\u2011Islamic communities in the region practised different forms of abstinence long before the Qur\u2019an was revealed, and Muslim tradition reinterpreted these older practices in its own way. Ramadan is therefore part of a much longer story of people using their bodies \u2013 hunger, thirst, fatigue \u2013 to search for meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being LGBT+ and Muslim During Ramadan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For queer and trans Muslims, Ramadan can be a deeply ambivalent time. Articles and testimonies from LGBT+ Muslims describe the month as both spiritually powerful and emotionally painful<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the one hand, many talk about the calm of fasting, the beauty of night prayers, the intimacy of reading the Qur\u2019an alone, or the joy of breaking the fast with friends and family. On the other hand, Ramadan often means spending more time in spaces \u2013 family homes, mosques, community gatherings \u2013 where homophobic, biphobic or transphobic comments are frequent, sometimes framed as \u201creligious truth\u201d. For some, coming out has led to open conflict or exclusion, which makes returning to these spaces during Ramadan very difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several queer Muslims interviewed by organisations like The Trevor Project and independent queer media describe a familiar pattern: they still feel connected to Allah, to the Qur\u2019an, to fasting, but not to the way their local mosque or family talks about gender and sexuality. Many navigate this tension by practising partly \u201con the side\u201d: fasting and praying quietly, avoiding certain gatherings, or celebrating iftar with a chosen family that feels safer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Queer and Trans Muslims Reclaiming the Month<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, queer and trans Muslims across North America and Europe have started to organise spaces where they can live Ramadan more fully without hiding who they are. In several cities, groups have hosted \u201cqueer iftars\u201d: shared meals open to LGBT+ Muslims and their allies, sometimes with a short prayer or reflection, always with an emphasis on safety and consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reports from 2024 and 2025 describe queer and trans Muslims renting community centres, partnering with LGBT+ organisations, or simply gathering in apartments to break the fast together. For many participants, this is the first time they can hear a du\u2019a (supplication) that mentions their names and pronouns, or talk openly about crushes, dysphoria or chosen families without fearing a lecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These initiatives are still small, but they matter. One participant quoted in a feature on queer and trans Muslims during Ramadan<\/a> said: \u201cI spent years thinking I had to choose between my queerness and my Islam. Sharing iftar with people like me showed me that both identities can breathe in the same room.\u201d For Belgian readers, it may resonate with what many experience between Molenbeek and Saint\u2011Gilles, Schaerbeek and Leuven: moving back and forth between very different worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Networks and Resources in Europe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Several organisations now work specifically with queer Muslims in Europe and can be helpful starting points for anyone in Belgium looking for support or community during Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n