Defining Acceptance: Group Cohesion and Membership for Queer and Trans Muslims in Toronto, Canada

• In Event: 2248 - LGBTQ People in Conservative and Religious Settings

Abstract

Abstract: This paper looks at the terms and conditions of acceptance for Queer and Trans Muslims in either Muslim or LGBTQ2S groups. The tension between LGBTQ Identity and religion in the context of group cohesion is explored through ethnographic research with ‘hybrid’ organizations (both LGBTQ and Muslim) and ‘non-hybrid’ ones (either Muslim or LGBTQ2S) in Toronto, Canada. The study draws on fifty-three interviews conducted with core organizers/founders/leaders of both hybrid groups and non-hybrid ones so as to determine (1) what acceptance constitutes in this case, (2) whether acceptance is acquired/conferred, (3) what conditions make acceptance possible. The author measures ‘acceptance’ and ‘rejection’ through ideal types derived from the interviews and examines whether non-hybrid interviewee responses reflect either model. The interviews with hybrid group, as well as participant observation and content analysis are used to triangulate the data. The interviews are further coded to determine the predictors of ‘acceptance’ or ‘rejection.’ Results show that the majority of interviewees (in both non-hybrid LGBTQ and Muslim groups) neither ‘accepted’ nor ‘rejected’ LGBTQ-Muslims but fell in to some other ‘non-acceptance’ category. Overall, responses varied across groups and individual interviews. The data also shows that the determinants of acceptance, rejection, or non-acceptance for Muslim groups are more complex than religiosity alone. This paper therefore calls for a broader examination of group acceptance in the Rainbow-Religious context.

Author

• Golshan Golriz, McGill University