Sabah Choudrey is an English activist, speaker and writer who has spoken about their experiences as a queer and trans individual within the Muslim community. They co-founded Trans Pride Brighton and the Colours Youth Network and is a director at Middlesex Pride.

Biography

Choudrey grew up in a

Pakistani Muslim Islam is the largest and the state religion of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan has over 231.69 million adherents of Islam (excluding the administrative territory of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan) making it the second-large ...

family in

Hounslow Hounslow ( ) is a large suburban district of West London, England, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 14 metropolitan cen ...

, West London. Choudrey graduated from the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

(BSc) in Psychology. In 2013, Choudrey co-founded Trans Pride Brighton, the first trans-specific

pride parade A pride parade (also known as pride event, pride festival, pride march, or pride protest) is an event celebrating lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, LGBT rights by country o ...

in England. In 2015, Choudrey spoke at

TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...

Brixton, giving a talk titled "Brown, trans, queer, Muslim and proud." They are Vice-Chair for the Board of Trustees at the

Inclusive Mosque Initiative The Inclusive Mosque Initiative (IMI) was founded in 2012, in London, UK. It is a grassroots activist organisation which works towards promoting the understanding of an intersectional feminist Islam. In practice, this means that IMI spaces and e ...

, which creates inclusive places for marginalised Muslims. They have spoken to the media about being a queer Muslin in

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

. In 2016, Choudrey helped found Colours Youth Network, a youth group supporting

LGBTQ+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group i ...

young

people of colour The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...

and

youth workers Youth work is a community support activity aimed at older children and adolescents. Depending upon the culture and the community, different services and institutions may exist for this purpose. In general, it provides an environment where young pe ...

. The group announced they would be closing in 2024 after 8 years of working with LGBTQ+ individuals of colour across the UK. In 2021, they were awarded

Gay Times ''Gay Times'' (stylized in all caps), also known as ''GAY TIMES Magazine'' and as ''GT'', is a UK-based LGBTQ+ magazine established in 1984. Originally a magazine for gay and bisexual men, the company began including content for the LGBTQ+ comm ...

Honour for Future Fighter. They were later named on the Diversity Power List 2024/25. In 2022, Choudrey wrote the book ''Supporting Trans People of Colour: How to Make Your Practice Inclusive'', published by

Jessica Kingsley Publishers Jessica Kingsley Publishers (JKP) is a multinational publishing house headquartered in London. It was founded as an independent publisher in 1987 by Jessica Kingsley. Since 2017, JKP operates as an imprint of John Murray Press. History Early ...

, which "uses case studies, independent research and practical checklists to introduce professionals working with trans people to ways of creating safer spaces". They were also commissioned by the Gender Identity Research & Education Society (GIRES) to write the 28 page booklet ''Inclusivity – Supporting BAME Trans People'' in 2016. In 2023, Choudrey helped volunteer for the first in-person Middlesex Pride event. They later joined the Middlesex Pride team as a director. They also started QTIPOC, a support network for

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

trans Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning "across", "beyond", or "on the other side of". Used alone, trans may refer to: Sociology * Trans, a sociological term which may refer to: ** Transgender, people who identify themselves with a gender that di ...

and

intersex Intersex people are those born with any of several sex characteristics, including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binar ...

people of colour in

Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority area, ceremonially in East Sussex, England. There are multiple villages alongside the seaside resorts of Brighton and Hove in the district. It is administe ...

, as well as founding desiQ for queer desi people. In addition to their activism, Choudrey is a

psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...

and artist wellbeing practitioner. They have spoken about their own career journey in psychotherapy and how therapy created space for them to accept themself.

References

Living people Alumni of the University of Sussex English people of Pakistani descent English transgender writers LGBTQ people from London People from Hounslow Transgender Muslims Transgender rights activists Writers from the London Borough of Hounslow Year of birth missing (living people) {{Authority control