Excerpt:
When news broke about the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida, Qais Munhazim's first response was sadness. His second was action.
The political science Ph.D. student at the University of Minnesota is a Muslim, as was the shooter. Munhazim also has something in common with most of the victims: He is gay.
After the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, LGBT Muslims in Minnesota have found themselves suddenly under scrutiny. They stand at the crossroads of two intersecting identities, both of which make them feel like outsiders. They are small in number, and few are willing to speak out for fear of recrimination. But as they experience Islamophobia from some in the LGBT community and homophobia by some who share their religion, they are banding together to create a community of their own.