By Amy Moran, Ph.D.
I’ll never forget the day, some 10 years ago, when a Muslim sophomore and her girlfriend came to an after-school GSA meeting where I was the adviser. She attested that she had no identifiable support as a queer Muslim teen. The GSA, she said, was the only place where her intersecting identities were acknowledged and celebrated. The next day, I approached a Muslim colleague and asked her if she knew of area support resources for queer Muslims. She replied that there were no queer Muslims.
January 2024 was the first time New Jersey formally recognized Muslim Heritage Month. January was also National Mentoring Month, and it’s great to report that queer youth of all religions have more models of support than ever before—support in schools through GSAs and affirming classrooms as well as support we see from public figures.
Our governor and queer ally, Mikie Sherrill, has a strong track record as one of New Jersey’s congressional representatives of supporting LGBTQIA+ issues. She voted no on legislation that would restrict trans girls and women from participating on sports teams that align with their gender identity. She voted no on federal legislation that mandates parental consent and notification for LGBTQIA+ students’ gender identity-related identities at school—school is sometimes the only safe space a young person has. And she voted yes on the Respect for Marriage Act, which sought to protect against legal challenges to interracial and same-sex marriages. As a congressperson, Sherrill also sponsored a number of queer-affirming initiatives, including
- The LGBT Data Inclusion Act, which requires federal surveys to collect voluntary demographic data about queer people to support social programs.
- The PrEP Assistance Program Act, which works to expand HIV prevention assistance (despite the federal government suddenly no longer commemorating World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, 2025, which had been previously acknowledged
since 1988) - The Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act, a ban on dangerous so-called “conversion therapy.”
Amy Moran, Ph.D. (she/her) is an out queer educator, advocate and activist working to make education inclusive and affirming for all students and colleagues. She is a 31-year middle school teacher, was a high school GSA advisor for 16 years, served on NJEA’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Committee and received NJEA’s Equality Champion Award.
Resources
With 300,000 American Muslims living in New Jersey, one of the largest populations in the U.S., there will always be opportunities for elected leaders to help ensure access to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all of our neighbors. And there will always be opportunities for educators to provide mentorship to LGBTQIA+ Muslim students who may be exploring their queer identities.
PFLAG’s “I’m Muslim and I Might Not Be Straight: A Resource for LGBTQ+ Muslim Youth”
Mentorship matters. Share ways you’ve mentored LGBTQIA+ students (of any or no religion) at RainbowConnectionNJEA@gmail.com.