And this is generally the reaction. Actually, when I first came to New York, there was a Pakistani friend of mine in Queens, when I came out to him, basically to stop him from introducing me to girls all the time, he was surprised to learn that I was gay.
The first thing he said to me was, “I don’t know, I’m used to it; they go right by here in Jackson Heights; I’ve been living here for 12 years and I have gay friends.”
He didn’t have gay friends, he just knew of them. So, that was also happening in the same community. There was a bunch of journalists from all kinds of newspapers in New York, especially the gay newspapers, that were asking me and a couple of other people, “what should be done about it?”
I kept reminding them that those people, those shopkeepers are also Muslim. They are not actually attacking the Gay Pride Parade. It happens in their neighborhood, they are ready for it, they are looking forward to it because it’s good business for them.
But those three people that are actually going to picket it, they’re just going to picket it. Let them stand there. They can hold their little signs “Turn Or Burn” or “You’re Going To Go To Hell.” I was there when this incident happened, with these three guys. All I did was predict that there would be three. There was a fourth one, like the backup, who was carrying everything.
(audience laughter)
And suddenly, a few people started screaming and ran to the NYPD. They got around 18 cops for these four guys and they were saying, “you can’t be here.”
I was standing there and I thought, “Well, I’m from Al-Fatiha, South Asian Gay and Lesbian Association, do you want me to talk and mediate?” They said no. So they started removing them and of course, they asked, “What are you doing here?”
I responded, “What am I doing here? I was marching in the parade, I was in the parade.” So they said, “You are going to go to hell.” I responded that I’ve heard that since the day I was born. I don’t have those memories, but yes, I’ve known that.
I asked, “When did you convert to Islam?”
And he responded, “It’s not about conversion. I was born a Muslim.”
I said, “No, you converted to Islam.” He converted seven years ago, he eventually told me when we sat down. He kept telling me, “Abandon my ways.” It’s nothing that you don’t usually hear from very religious people. But it was very surprising the level of fear that suddenly went up in the community, before and during the Queens Pride Parade.
And then it was over. It was the same thing like those Muslim men that are really, really fearful all the time. And it was there, in the gay community. It’s the same thing with the LGBT press and the way they cover Islamic countries or what happens to gay and lesbian people in Iran and Pakistan.
