Hidayah's Queer Book Club is back - in-person!
We're excited to present to you our first Queer Book Club of 2026, where we'll be reading award-winning queer Muslim memoir, Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H. Join us for an enriching discussion of the book's themes and what it means to queer Muslims.
As part of our partnership with Housman's Bookshop, you get a 20% discount for our Book Club pick. Details on how to redeem this will be shared after you sign up for our event.
About Hidayah:
Hidayah’s mission is to provide support and welfare for LGBTQI+ Muslims. We promote social justice and education about our community. We are a secular organisation, but our projects and activities are developed specifically for the needs of LGBTQI+ Muslims. Our vision is to ensure our voices are heard and understood.
We are a mix of practising and non-practising Muslims. However, we warmly welcome friends, families and allies to our events.
We are keen to ensure our services are as inclusive as possible. So if you are an LGBTQI Muslim wanting to attend and the cost is a barrier to you, please email our Events Team at events@hidayahlgbt.co.uk and we can arrange to waive your ticket cost, bi'idhnillah.
Please note that Hidayah's first priority is always to safeguard the wellbeing of volunteers and service users. With this in mind, Hidayah reserves the right to refuse or refund tickets at its discretion. Any decision to do so is not made lightly and will only ever be on the basis of safeguarding.
About Hijab Butch Blues
Written with deep intelligence and a fierce humour, Hijab Butch Blues follows Lamya as she travels to the United States, as she comes out, and as she navigates the complexities of the immigration system – and the queer dating scene. At each step, she turns to her faith to make sense of her life, weaving stories from the Quran together with her own experiences: Musa leading his people to freedom; Allah, who is neither male nor female; and Nuh, who built an ark, just as Lamya is finally able to become the architect of her own story.
Raw and unflinching, Hijab Butch Blues heralds the arrival of a truly original voice, asking powerful questions about gender and sexuality, relationships, identity and faith, and what it means to build a life of one’s own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be a Hidayah member to attend the event?
Yes, anyone attending a Hidayah event needs to be a member. This is to protect safeguarding and ensure that everyone in attendance is who they say they are. The main way to do this is through the Yoti app. All the details on how to sign up are on our website. However, if you have concerns about accessibility or are struggling to use Yoti, please get in touch with our membership team (membership@hidayahlgbt.co.uk).
Will it cost me anything to become a Hidayah member?
For the purpose of attending an event, no. You can attend an event by signing up for As-Shams, our free tier for queer Muslims, and al-Halif, our free tier for allies. You are also welcome to sign up for our paid tiers, which will give you access to other membership perks. Find out more by going to https://hidayahlgbt.com/membership.
Where is the event happening? I can't see an address.
We will send the address to everyone who has signed up a couple days before the event. The reason for this is to safeguard our service users. Please do not share the address with anyone not attending the event.
I don't want any pictures posted online of me from the event. Can I opt out?
Yes, of course! We are keen to ensure this is a safe space for you. Please let our Events team know that you would prefer to not have your picture taken and we can provide you with a sticker so we know not to photograph you.
I'm not an LGBTQ Muslim but I am an ally. Can I still attend?
We warmly welcome partners, friends and family members of queer Muslims to our events as we believe your support and solidarity is invaluable. However, we do ask for more in the ticket price to reflect the community we serve, which is why our tickets are tiered.
I'm not sure about my gender identity/sexuality, or I'm not a very practising Muslim. Can I attend?
We don't gatekeep when it comes to being queer or being Muslim. We know there is no one way of being either. Whatever level you practise Islam and are LGBTQ is fine with us; if you identify as such, that's enough for us.
I am a queer Muslim on benefits/unemployed/in financial difficulty. Would you be able to cover my ticket?
For sure! We know that times are tough for people and we don't want those from our community to miss out because of financial issues, so if you are in that position, please email our Events Team at events@hidayahlgbt.co.uk. Please specify: 1) Your name 2) Membership number (signing up for membership is free) 3) Accessibility requirements.