What We Learned From a Gay Man’s Blog About Living Opposite a London Mosque

A gay Londoner is seeking to counter Islamophobic attitudes with an article describing his positive interactions with members of a mosque.

In a piece published on the blogging platform Mediumtitled "15 Things I Learnt About Islam and British Values Being a Gay Boy Living Opposite a Mosque," writer Thomas Mauchline described what he's experienced living across the street from an Islamic place of worship for four years, all from a queer perspective.

"When confronted with something out of their comfort zone, like me and my boyfriend in full drag dancing down the road, Muslims, like all British people, get flustered and over compensate with being overly polite -- a bit like Hugh Grant," Mauchline wrote. "When finding out you have been dating your boyfriend for 5 years, your Muslim neighbours will be disgusted that you haven't proposed. You hear 'get a civil partnership -- for your mother's sake' a lot."

The post, which is quickly making its rounds on the Internet, paints a kinder, more realistic picture of the nature of Islamic communities than the extreme one being painted in conservative political rhetoric.

"The media stories about Islam meant that I was genuinely a little nervous about moving-in across the road to a Mosque," Mauchline wrote. "What I have learnt in the four years since I moved is that the ridiculousness of British culture is universal. We all love tea, are really polite and tut rather than saying something, no matter our religion."