Editing Transphobia (section)

====In Islam====
The Islamic faith has historically supported heteronormative, binary gender identification.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Alipour |first=M. |date=2 January 2017 |title=Islamic shari'a law, neotraditionalist Muslim scholars and transgender sex-reassignment surgery: A case study of Ayatollah Khomeini's and Sheikh al-Tantawi's fatwas |journal=International Journal of Transgenderism  |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=91–103 |doi=10.1080/15532739.2016.1250239 |s2cid=152120329 |issn=1553-2739|doi-access=free }}</ref> This support is reinforced by cultural norms and traditional readings of sacred texts which prohibit a wide range of identities. Despite this history, progressive Muslims have built arguments that support transgender Muslims on long-established doctrine,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zaharin|first1=A. A. M. |last2=Pallotta-Chiarolli|first2=M.|date=June 2020|title=Countering Islamic conservatism on being transgender: Clarifying Tantawi's and Khomeini's fatwas from the progressive Muslim standpoint|journal=International Journal of Transgender Health|volume=21 |issue=3 |pages=235–241 |doi=10.1080/26895269.2020.1778238|pmid=34993508 |pmc=8726683 |s2cid=225679841 }}</ref> and support for gender transition has even been found among influential conservative scholars.

In 1988, gender reassignment surgery was declared acceptable under Islamic law by scholars at Egypt's [[Al-Azhar University|Al-Azhar]], the world's oldest Islamic university. In Iran during 1987, [[Ruhollah Khomeini|Ayatollah Khomeini]], the supreme religious leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran at that time, also declared transgender surgical operations as acceptable (see [[transgender rights in Iran]]). The foundation for this accepting attitude in contrast to intolerance of homosexuality is the belief that a person is born transgender but chooses to be homosexual. Despite this acceptance among some conservative Muslim scholars and leaders, transgender individuals within the Muslim community still face particular challenges.

Today, there are some Muslim communities that explicitly welcome transgender Muslims, including some which have trans leadership. Masjid Al-Rabia, founded in 2017, is a trans-led, women-centred, LGBTQ+ affirming mosque based in Chicago, IL.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://masjidalrabia.org/about-masjidalrabia|title=About Masjid Al-Rabia|website=Masjid Al-Rabia|access-date=2 November 2021|archive-date=2 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102162626/https://masjidalrabia.org/about-masjidalrabia|url-status=dead}}</ref> In Northampton, Massachusetts, the Pioneer Valley Progressive Muslims (Masjid Al-Inshirah) was founded in 2010 by a transgender Muslim.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.advocate.com/politics/religion/2013/09/23/lgbt-muslims-make-progress-path-acceptance|title=LGBT Muslims Make Progress on the Path to Acceptance|website=The Advocate|date=23 September 2013|publisher=Pride Publishing, Inc.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Power |first=Tynan |author-link=Tynan Power|editor-last1=Goldberg|editor-first1=Abbie E.|editor-last2=Beemyn|editor-first2=Genny|date=2021 |chapter=Muslim People|title=The SAGE Encyclopedia of Trans Studies|location=United States|publisher=SAGE Publishing|pages=553–555|doi=10.4135/9781544393858.n188 |isbn=9781544393810|s2cid=242422061 }}</ref>  [[Muslims for Progressive Values]] has founded Unity Mosques in Atlanta, Georgia; Columbus, Ohio; and Los Angeles, California; as well as outside the United States. The [[Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity]] hosts an annual retreat for LGBTQ+ Muslims in Pennsylvania each May.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrc.org/resources/stances-of-faiths-on-lgbt-issues-islam|title=Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ Issues: Islam – Sunni and Shi'a|website=Human Rights Campaign}}</ref> The Trans and Muslim Project of TransFaith is a project devoted specifically to the support of transgender Muslims.<ref>{{cite news
| last         = Holmes
| first        = Kristin E.
| date         = 19 January 2017
| title        = For transgender community, a search for faith and acceptance
| url          = https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/20170120_Faith_in_transition.html
| work         = The Philadelphia Inquirer
| location     = Philadelphia
| access-date  = 2 November 2021
}}</ref>