Creating a safe space for LGBT+ Muslims

A new mosque in Berlin was welcoming openly LGBT+ Muslims to pray, showing the world that no one should be excluded from practicing their faith because of who they are or who they love.

But since the mosque opened, the founder of the mosque, Seyran Ateş, started receiving around 1,000 hate messages a day and had to be put under 24-hour police protection.

In a massive display of solidarity, All Out members from around the world sent more than 1,000 postcards with messages of love and strength to Seyran and her team (turn on English captions to see the video!):

The following year, Seyran teamed up with All Out once again, this time to crowdfund for the first community center for LGBT+ Muslims in Germany - an expansion of the mosque and its services.

Thanks to the generosity of All Out members, the center was opened, providing counseling, education, and training for their community.

Our Executive Director Matt had a chance to visit the center in Berlin and talked with Seyran about her plans for the center: