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Urooj Arshad is a renowned racial equality and LGBTQI+ rights speaker, currently serving as Senior LGBTQI+ Advisor at USAID. Drawing deeply on her lived experience as a queer Muslim woman of colour, Urooj’s advocacy is rooted in an unwavering commitment to justice and equity for marginalised communities. Her personal narrative informs her powerful speaking topics, which include LGBTQ Muslims in the Age of Trump; Gendered Islamophobia and Homonationalism; Global to Local: Connecting LGBTQ Work in Pakistan to Issues Affecting LGBTQ Muslims in the U.S.; Understanding Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Hate; and LGBTQ Rights and Activism in Pakistan. Through these topics, she shines a light on the intersectionality of race, religion, gender, and sexuality.
Urooj’s early career established her as a trailblazer in international youth health and rights. She joined Advocates for Youth in 2011 as Associate Director, International Youth Health & Rights, and by 2017 she had risen to become Director of International LGBTQ Youth Health and Rights. During her tenure, she secured more than $1 million in investment—ground-breaking at the time—to support LGBTQ Muslim youth and LGBTQI+ youth in the global south. Her work broke silence and built community where few resources existed. She co-founded both the Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity and the first-ever LGBTQ+ Muslim Retreat, creating essential spaces of solidarity and healing.
Her impact has been widely recognised. Urooj is the recipient of numerous prestigious honours, including the Pride Award from the National Association of Asian American Professionals, the Community Catalyst Award from the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, and awards from the Latino LGBT History Project and the Young Women of Colour HIV/AIDS Coalition. She has held fellowships with the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute, the OpEd Project, and programmes at the Center for American Progress, and has spoken at the Obama White House’s 2011 Pride and Heritage event as well as at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in 2015.
Urooj’s speaking engagements are compelling and deeply educational, rooted in both rigorous advocacy and the lived reality of those navigating overlapping systems of oppression. By addressing issues like Islamophobia, LGBTQ+ rights, and racial justice through an intersectional lens, she powerfully links local and global struggles. Her nuanced insights make her a sought-after speaker on racial equality, particularly in contexts that demand an understanding of both structural injustice and personal resilience. Organisations hire her not just for her expertise, but because she offers a transformative perspective that challenges audiences and fosters true inclusion.
Urooj Arshad is regularly booked to engage audiences at events, read their latest feedback below:
“Urooj was invited to present her work and expertise at a two day workshop held at Columbia University entitled Global Governance of the Intimate. Her presentation ‘Pushing back simultaneously against gendered islamophobia, homophobia and transphobia: LGBTQ Muslims in the age of Trump’ was deeply engaging and informative for our group of feminist scholars, journalists, and activists working on gender in South Asia and the Middle East. Urooj masterfully touched upon complex issues using accessible language. Urooj has a clear passion and commitment to her work that energized us all.”
“Urooj’s presentation in Oslo, Norway during the ‘Intersections of Islamophobia and LGBTIQ+phobia’ seminar brought important perspectives from the U.S. Her critical analysis around gendered islamophobia not only grounds the reality of LGBTQ Muslims living in the U.S. within the larger geo-political contexts, it also makes connections that are relevant to those of us living in Europe. Her talk ‘Islam and LGBTIQ+ are not mutually exclusive – best practices from the United States’ is a testament to LGBTQ Muslim’s struggles in a time of rising fascism, xenophobia and islamophobia but also a reminder that the only way forward is by centring the intersectional lives of those most impacted.”
“We were lucky to have Urooj give an engaging and thoughtful presentation about the complexities of Queer Muslim life. She managed to encapsulate how her lived experiences and activism are inextricably enmeshed with larger societal structures and politics. She pushed students to think critically and engage beyond their perspectives with her anecdotes of work across continents and with a variety of communities. She didn’t shy away from the difficult questions and explaining complex topics, leaving students thought provoked and ready for a fruitful discussion.”
“Urooj Arshad is a gem. She is a deeply passionate community leader, an inspiring speaker who speaks from the heart. Her stories and deep knowledge of intersectional social justice as well as internationalism come out through her talks. She is also a gem because of literal sparkle– her outfits and style are on point, and she is well known for bringing the bling! Urooj’s deep experience, interactiveness, and style are bound to engage students and participants at events. I look forward to every opportunity I have to bring her back to speak on our campus.”
The BAME Speakers Agency has been one of the UK’s leading bureaus for Black, Asian and minority ethnic speakers since 2020. We supply speakers for corporate and public events across the world, and cater to both in-person occasions and online webinars.
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