As hate crimes increase, these queer activists are about to host a Muslim Pride festival

London’s LGBTQ Muslim community and allies have started fundraising £10,000 ($12,489.00) for the U.K.’s first-known Muslim Pride event in 2020, at a time when anti-Muslim sentiment is on the rise, according to Metro U.K..

The U.K. LGBTQ Muslim charity Imaan is spearheading the event in commemoration of its 20 years of existence helping “thousands of people to reconcile their sexuality and gender identity with their Islamic faith,” writes The Independent.

Citing a rise in homophobia among conservative Muslims amid protests against LGBTQ-inclusive education in England’s schools, Imaan wrote in a statement:

“The current political climate, together with Brexit, migrant crisis, Boris, and Trump has emboldened Islamophobes … Often LGBTQI Muslims are caught in the middle of Islamophobia and homophobia, so we want to provide a safe and inclusive space where people feel like they do not have to choose between identities and that they can be LGBTQI and Muslim without pressure from those who say otherwise.”