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Findings
1.1 Most Muslim LBT women struggle with or question their identities at some stage in their lives. Some Muslim LBT women cannot identify with the words lesbian or bisexual at all and/or have no knowledge of transgender*issues. Many Muslim LBT women also have negative preconceptions about what it means to be lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Not understanding their feelings concerning their sexual orientation or gender identity causes Muslim LBT women to encounter mental health problems such as anxiety, fearfulness and depression.

1.2 The popular Muslim belief is that homosexuality is unnatural, a sin and should be punished. This leads Muslim LBT women to feel guilty, scared and anxious when discovering their sexual orientation or gender identity. Many Muslim LBT women feel that they do not know exactly what Islam and the Quran say about LGBT people and indicate that it is very important to them to learn more about this. However, most women find it difficult to locate or access useful materials on this subject. The little material available is often concentrated on male homosexuality and/or is based on traditional and patriarchal interpretations of Islam.

1.3 Muslim LBT women often feel the need to choose between being LBT and being Muslim. This is because many women find it difficult to reconcile an LBT identity with their cultural and/or religious identity. This loss of religious and/or cultural identity causes many Muslim LBT women to feel ‘bad ’, guilty and depressed.

1.4 Often family, friends or other members of Muslim communities will confirm that being LBT is against Muslim cultural and religious values. Many women feel concerned that they would (or have) let their families down and that they would cause (or have caused) shame on the family if they came out (or when they did come out). This concern results in feelings of unworthiness and uselessness. Some mothers even feel that they do not deserve to be in contact with their children. (See also under Marriage & Children, Coming Out and Isolation.)

1.5 Because of the issues mentioned above, most Muslim LBT women go through a (prolonged) process of denying and suppressing their sexual orientation or gender identity, both to themselves and to their family and friends. As a result they often experience depression and some women contemplate or attempt suicide or other forms of self-harm.

1.6 Many Muslim LBT women feel that mental health support, both in the form of counselling and in the form of support groups, is extremely important. However, many find it difficult to access suitable mental health services. Often they have not known where to find appropriate services or they have been restricted in their freedom of movement by their families.

1.7 Some Muslim LBT women have been put off from using mental health services after experiencing Islamophobic, racist or culturally insensitive comments by their non-Muslim counsellors. Many counsellors perpetuate popular derogatory perceptions of Islam and/or Muslim women when dealing with their clients. This was particularly felt at the time of the Gulf War and has intensified again as a result of the events on September 11th 2001.In addition, a lack of understanding of Islam and/or a lack of understanding of a client ’s cultural context has led some counsellors to fail to differentiate between patriarchal forces within Muslim communities and cultural or religious values.

1.8 This situation is particularly damaging for Muslim LBT women who struggle to reconcile their sexual orientation or gender identity with their religious and/or cultural identities. Prejudicial and misinformed attitudes reinforce the misconception that Muslim LBT women need to choose between an LGB identity and a cultural or religious identity.

1.9 Some Muslim LBT women also experience homophobia or transphobia when using counselling or other mental health services. However, not many Muslim LBT women seek mental health support from LGBT service providers. Many do not know about these service providers and if they do, they often expect or perceive these services to be culturally inappropriate. Some women also do not identify with LGBT service providers because they have not yet identified themselves as lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Some women also considered LGBT identified centres for counselling or support to be too inaccessible because they fear being seen by family or friends, which could result in them being ‘found out ’ and perceived or labelled as ‘homosexual ’.

1.10 Partially for that reason, most women said they prefer to seek appropriate counselling within a gender and/or race-specific centre, rather than in an LGBT-identified centre. One person mentioned the Manchester black women ’s therapy centre that is currently being developed as a good example. One woman receiving therapy from a Muslim woman counsellor found that once she had come out, getting affirmation from a Muslim counsellor was crucial to her ability to accept herself. However, other Muslim LBT women who visited Muslim women counsellors did not feel at ease to talk to them about their sexual orientation or gender identity.

1.11 Muslim LBT women feel strongly that their mental health would benefit from both counselling and a Muslim or race-specific women ’s social support group, run by counsellors that they could identify with. However, Muslim women ’s social support groups do not always provide safe and appropriate settings to bring up sexual orientation or gender identity issues. Some groups perpetuate patriarchal or homophobic attitudes that exist within their members ’ communities.

Needs
1.12Muslim LBT women need access to more information on lesbian, bisexual or transgender identities that they can relate to and that are positive.

1.13 More (gender-specific) research needs to be done on sexual orientation and gender identity within Islam. More diverse and gender-sensitive information on this topic should be made available to Muslim LBT women and their families and friends, Muslim communities and service providers.

1.14 Mental health service providers need to be all-inclusive and non-discriminatory. This can be encouraged through training and increased awareness of the multiple factors relevant to Muslim LBT women ’s mental health. Awareness and training is particularly needed on:

1.15 Mental health service providers need to take responsibility for understanding all the social, political and religious realities that impact their clients' mental health. Service providers could develop guidelines for an assessment of clients within their cultural and religious contexts that would address gender, sexual orientation and gender identity issues.

1.16 Access to appropriate mental health services for Muslim LBT women should be improved. These services should be located in safe and confidential environments in order to be accessible to Muslim LBT women whose freedom of movement is limited or who fear being seen by family or friends. Schools, colleges, libraries and doctors surgeries are good locations for advertising such services.

1.17 There is a need for counsellors and social support groups that Muslim LBT women can identify with in terms of race, culture and religion, as well as in terms of sexual orientation and gender identity.

1.18There is a need for legal protection against multiple discrimination in service provision. The EU Employment Directive, outlawing discrimination on the basis of religion or belief and on the basis of sexual orientation, should be extended to the delivery of goods and services, which includes mental health services. (See also under Employment.)

*We use here the International Foundation for Gender Education definition: “A transgender person is someone whose gender display at least sometimes runs contrary to what other people in the same culture would normally expect.” www.ifge.org

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