Lots of discourse about my Drag Race tweet this AM. I am by no means giving Islam a pass. But to suggest Muslims are sexist and homophobic perpetuates some of the same stereotypes that governments have used to strip millions of Chinese and Indian Muslims of all their rights.

There’s also so much false equivalence here. For every Riyadh, there is a Beirut or an Amman. And for every extremist Muslim government official, there are thousands of young Muslims fighting against his oppression.

You don’t need to DM me horror stories of homophobia in the Arab world. My DMs, for years, have been full of LGBTQ people who feel helpless and trapped. I see them, I hear them, and even if it pails in comparison—through coming out to my father—I am empathetic to their pain.

Agree or disagree with me, Islam (religion in general) isn’t going away. And I believe that progress is accelerated through conversation and empathy rather than condemnation.