October is Islamic heritage month, and in the Rainbow Gladiators we want to highlight Islamic members of the LGBTQ community. One of such members is Faisal Alam, a queer identified Muslim activist. When he was 19, trying to reconcile between his sexuality and his faith, Faisal founded the first ever gathering of LGBT Muslims. This led to the founding of Al-Fatiha, an organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning Muslims and their allies. This organization has helped lead a global queer Muslim movement. Faisal’s activism has led him to receive a lot of media coverage.

For his activism, Faisal has received many recognitions and awards. Some of these titles include “Innovator” and “Founding Father”. He was selected as one of the “Young Visionaries Under 30” by the Utne Reader, and one of “40 Heroes” who have “made a difference in LGBT civil rights over the last forty years” by The Equality Forum, even receiving an award from Pride Toronto for his contributions. While the Al-Fatiha Foundation is no longer operational as of 2011, the impact of this organization is felt even to today.