Naz and Matt Foundation

Naz and Matt Foundation Our mission is to never let religion, any religion, come in the way of the unconditional love between parents & their children. Registered Charity 1160694

Naz and Matt Foundation was set up in 2014 following the sad loss of Matt’s fiancé and soulmate, Naz, who took his own life two days after his deeply religious family confronted him about his sexuality. The Foundation exists to empower and support LGBTQI+ (Le***an, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Q***r, Questioning and Intersex) individuals, their friends and family to work towards resolving challenge

s linked to sexuality or gender identity, particularly where religion is heavily influencing the situation. By tackling the problem head on and raising awareness Naz and Matt Foundation hopes to open the eyes of closed minds in communities and families so that they will love the children they gave birth to, for the individuals they were born to be.

Pride Month is often presented as something visible and widely celebrated, but that version of Pride does not reflect th...
02/06/2026

Pride Month is often presented as something visible and widely celebrated, but that version of Pride does not reflect the reality for everyone, especially those who are not in environments where q***rness is accepted or affirmed.

Pride can feel alienating for those of us who don't exist in affirming spaces. Public celebrations seem disconnected from religious and cultural contexts, and often messages of liberation assume rejection of faith. Pride focuses on coming out, on celebration, on raising awareness, on visibility. These are not accessible for many of the people following this page.

But Pride is still for us! For q***r people of faith, Pride might be acknowledged in smaller ways. Building supportive communities with chosen family, attending/engaging safe events/communities (with charities like and for Muslims, for Jewish people, for Sikhs, and many more - message us if you want signposting!), sharing small signals with others who will recognise them, acknowledging oneself alone, or choosing to care and treat oneself more this month. Pride is for all of us, in whatever way we can or choose to access it.

Take this as a reminder to hold onto your sense of self in whatever way is safest for you during this month. And Happy Pride to all q***r people of faith! Comment below (if you feel safe to do so!) with how you celebrate pride.

***rFaith

Eid Mubarak to everyone who is celebrating.Every month we hold an in-person support group for LGBTQI+ people from religi...
28/05/2026

Eid Mubarak to everyone who is celebrating.

Every month we hold an in-person support group for LGBTQI+ people from religious and culturally conservative backgrounds. The sessions are open to parents too, so they can come along, share their own experiences and ask questions of the community. In April, 56 people joined us.

Last night felt different. We set aside our usual support group format and instead made a quiet space for reflection. People met new members of their chosen family, shared stories, and talked about the good things ahead, like our plans to take part in Pride this year and which events we are all going to.

Everyone brought something to share. Sweets, treats, soft drinks, all spread out for the whole room.

What was beautiful was that it did not matter what religious or cultural background each of us were from. We were there to support each other and be kind to ourselves.

Thank you to everyone who came and made the room feel like home.

Eid Mubarak to those marking Eid al Adha! For many of us, Eid includes prayer and family gatherings and lots of shared f...
28/05/2026

Eid Mubarak to those marking Eid al Adha! For many of us, Eid includes prayer and family gatherings and lots of shared food. For many more of us, it's painfully bittersweet. It might be a day of hiding your identity, being misgendered, being asked about marriage, or hearing views that directly reject who you are. For some of us, it can mean not going home at all or feeling deeply isolated and rejected while knowing your loved ones are celebrating. We know that Eid often involves careful decisions about what to say, what to wear, and how long to stay.

The peace, remembrance of God, the love, the celebration, the connection with the wider ummah - these are all things you have every right to. The meaning behind this day, the story of sacrifice, the themes of obedience and faith, of social responsibility. Those are yours, as Muslims, to reflect on, to commune with God on, to connect with fellow Muslims with. Your faith, your Islam, remains your own on this special day and on all days. You are entitled to it, to all of the goodness it promises - including community! And there is affirming community out there.

If today feels difficult, you are not the only one experiencing this. Support and community is available. You can find resources, support options and ways to connect with others through the link in our bio.

Parentlessness is often understood as something that happens after death, but many q***r people experience it while both...
18/05/2026

Parentlessness is often understood as something that happens after death, but many q***r people experience it while both parents are still alive. For q***r people from conservative religious backgrounds, this can happen after coming out, being outed, or no longer agreeing to hide who they are. Contact may reduce, conversations may become limited, the relationship may continue only under strict conditions or there may be no relationship allowed at all. Parents are still there in theory, but no longer available. This is a loss that does not come with recognition or any real permission to grieve, even though it affects daily life. How do you explain that you're mourning people that are still alive?

This particular kind of rejection is often framed as moral responsibility or religious obedience. Q***r people may be told that distance is necessary, loving, or temporary, while being asked to change in order to be accepted again. This places the burden of reconciliation on the person who has been rejected. The grief is ongoing, because parents are still alive, perhaps still spoken about but unavailable or unsafe. It can affect how people understand love, trust, faith, and their own worth.

At Naz and Matt Foundation, we recognise parentlessness as a real and lasting experience for q***r people of faith. It is not a personal failure, a lack of forgiveness, or something that can be resolved by trying harder. It is the result of systems that prioritise conformity over care. Naming this experience matters, because it helps people understand that what they are carrying is grief, not weakness, and that they are not alone in it.

If this reflects something you have lived through, take a moment to acknowledge it. Save or share this post if it helps put words to an experience that is often minimised or misunderstood.

***rpeopleoffaith

Homelessness among LGBTQ+ people is not accidental, it is entirely structural. For many q***r people of faith, losing ho...
16/05/2026

Homelessness among LGBTQ+ people is not accidental, it is entirely structural. For many q***r people of faith, losing housing happens after family rejection, religious exclusion, or being made actively unsafe. When faith, culture, or community reputation are used to justify rejection, housing insecurity becomes another avenue of control for family seeking to 'correct' their q***r relatives.

Q***r people of faith often fall between systems. Mainstream homelessness services may not fully understand faith‑specific trauma, while faith‑based provision can feel unsafe or inaccessible for LGBTQ+ people. This often leads to hidden homelessness - sofa surfing, unsafe temporary accommodation, or remaining in harmful environments because there are no affirming alternatives. Though it may begin 'hidden' and seemingly short-term, homelessness among q***r people of faith is often a long-term crisis. It often marks the beginning of sustained harm. When someone loses housing due to family rejection or faith‑based exclusion, the impacts can follow them for years.

Without stable and affirming housing, q***r people of faith face increased exposure to exploitation and violence. This can include being coerced into unsafe relationships for shelter, pressure to exchange se* for a place to stay, increased risk of substance use as a means of coping, and continued exposure to emotional or physical abuse. Faith‑based shame around these abuses can make it even harder to seek help or be believed, compounding the danger.

We are grateful to organisations already doing essential work to interrupt these cycles of harm, including , , , and . Their work is dignity‑led, and affirming, necessary approaches in order to reduce long‑term risk and restore safety. At Naz and Matt Foundation, we stand alongside these efforts and continue to advocate for systems where q***r people of faith are protected before homelessness becomes a pathway into harm.

Please take time to learn, share, and amplify the work of organisations supporting LGBTQ+ people facing homelessness. Collective attention, funding, and solidarity save lives!

***rPeopleOfFaith
***rFaith

CONTENT WARNING - mentions of se*ual abuse and violence. Please read with caution, and prioritise your wellbeing.Violenc...
13/05/2026

CONTENT WARNING - mentions of se*ual abuse and violence. Please read with caution, and prioritise your wellbeing.

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is varied. For q***r women and femmes in various conservative faith communities, it often encompasses coercive control and domination, emotional/physical/se*ual abuse, threats, and restrictions on freedom - particularly when these are justified as protecting “honour”, reputation, or family standing.

Honour‑based abuse in this form is gendered violence that disproportionately affects women and girls, and it can be intensified for q***r women and femmes of faith. Expectations around femininity, sexuality, obedience, and marriage are often enforced through fear, surveillance, corrective se*ual/physical violence, and control.

In UK law and government policy, honour‑based abuse is explicitly recognised as a form of violence against women and girls. It sits within the national VAWG framework alongside domestic abuse, sexual violence, stalking, and coercive control. These are criminal offences. In February of this year, the UK introduced a formal legal definition of honour-based abuse into law via the Crime and Policing Act 2026. This is treated as a high-risk issue, and it is vital we understand that VAWG protections apply regardless of religion or immigration status.

Honour‑based abuse is part of the wider landscape of VAWG. It is not about honour, and it is not inherent to any faith. It is about power. Naming this form of violence is essential if we are serious about protecting q***r people of faith and challenging gender‑based harm in all its forms.

If this resonates, you’re not alone. You don’t need to act or reach out right now - simply acknowledging harm for what it is is a powerful first step. Save or share this post to help keep conversations about VAWG, honour‑based abuse, and q***r people of faith visible.


Across many faith communities, conversion practices do not always look like the stereotypes people imagine. They are oft...
06/05/2026

Across many faith communities, conversion practices do not always look like the stereotypes people imagine. They are often informal, relational and hidden behind pastoral care. LGBTQ+ people may be referred to “accountability partners”, placed in discipleship programmes, or required to attend weekly meetings with clergy to monitor thoughts, behaviour, dating and gender expression. What is framed as spiritual guidance just becomes a system of continued surveillance.

Specific religion-based practices can include deliverance ministries attempting to cast out a “spirit of homosexuality”, public confession of same-sex relationships, enforced fasting to remove “temptation”, and prayer chains organised around changing someone’s identity. Some are pressured into celibacy covenants they did not freely choose, told to end loving relationships, or instructed to adopt rigid masculinity and femininity roles as proof of repentance. Others are sent to live with relatives, faith camps, or intensive retreats designed to isolate them from affirming influences.

In some communities, conversion practices also happen through family and congregation pressure rather than formal programmes: threats of shunning, exclusion from sacraments, removal from leadership, forced dress codes, or being pushed/forced into heterosexual marriage. Because these harms are often spiritualised, survivors may struggle to name what happened for years.

Protecting q***r religious people means recognising coercion. It is not only the branded courses, but the everyday practices that try to erase identity. Learning exactly what these practices entail is an essential part of preventing them from continuing.

Naz and Matt Foundation are proudly apart of the Ban Conversion Practices Coalition . This is a coalition of organisations united in calling for the Government to Ban Conversion Practices. It has been more than seven years since the LGBTQ+ community and allies were promised legislation to ban these harmful practices. We are continuing to campaign for a ban that protects all LGBTQ+ people from abuse, with no loopholes or exemptions.

Today is Naz's birthday. He would have been 46.I won't pretend it's an easy day. It never is. The reminders are everywhe...
14/04/2026

Today is Naz's birthday. He would have been 46.

I won't pretend it's an easy day. It never is. The reminders are everywhere - of his life, his energy, everything he was and everything we were building together.

But here's what I know.

Since we started this Foundation in 2014, thousands of people have reached out to us. People whose own families have turned on them. People who've had to flee their homes when their sexuality or gender identity was discovered. People held hostage in their own bedrooms, cut off from friends, from the outside world. People physically abused. Mentally abused. Financially controlled. Some with threats against their lives from their parents, police or military in their own countries.

Every single one of them deserved better. And every single one of them found us - or we found them.

Last year alone, we supported 328 individuals through 551 support requests, many of them high risk.

We've grown from a campaigning organisation into a frontline support service. We provide safety. We provide guidance. We provide a space where people can meet others who truly understand what they're going through. And now, through our parent support group (Rainbow Chai) and our face-to-face groups, we're also walking alongside the families - helping parents find their way to acceptance.

It is an honour to do this work. It is also, honestly, exhausting. We now receive far more requests for help than we can respond to, and we're actively looking to bring new people into the team so we can reach more of the individuals and families who need us.

This work is necessary. This is the work that saves lives. This is the work that changes futures. And this is the work that creates hope - even when the political and global climate keeps trying to push us backwards.

So if you're reading this today, I want you to know something.

You are not alone. Help is available. Head to our website, click the support link, and reach out. We will get through this together.

Happy birthday, Naz. This one's for you 🩷

For people the world over, displacement isn’t a choice. It's imposed upon them. For q***r people, this bind is even more...
13/04/2026

For people the world over, displacement isn’t a choice. It's imposed upon them. For q***r people, this bind is even more complicated. To leave your home, family, culture, and community is the last option left, because home has become a place where existing puts you at risk. Leaving is an act of survival.

Then, the journey doesn’t end at the border. Many people spend months or years in systems that don’t understand their experiences, their identities or the danger they fled. Once they do finally arrive, safety is never immediate, and many face active hostility in their new environments. Home becomes something they have to rebuild piece by piece while navigating scrutiny and judgement alone.

We stand with anyone forced to cross borders because of who they are. No one should have to leave their home to stay alive. There are communities and organisations ready and waiting with open arms, no one should have to do this alone. Find help and support at and long term support and community . Reach out to us for further signposting and community.

In family and faith centred cultures, such as in Jewish communities, staying close can sometimes mean shrinking and hidi...
11/04/2026

In family and faith centred cultures, such as in Jewish communities, staying close can sometimes mean shrinking and hiding yourself. For q***r people, love and obligation become tangled and difficult.

In a lot of Jewish families, closeness is not optional. It is built into everything: weekly calls, holidays, opinions, expectations. Family is a central pillar to one's life, and walking away from it often feels like an option for other people.

It can feel like there is no clean choice. Staying close can mean hiding and managing reactions, but though creating distance can mean relief it also carries so much guilt and grief.

So people find their own balance, often without a map. Maybe it is partial honesty or maybe it is stepping back and then returning in a different way. It is not simple, and it is not failure. It is trying to hold onto culture and self at the same time.

If you're feeling this tension and think there are no options for you - there are. Community is out there, there are so many people who understand exactly how you feel, and have wisdom and love to share with you. There are ways to compromise and find the shades of grey - you can have culture and family and also be who you are.

***rJewish ***rBelonging

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