Jahed Choudhury and Sean Rogan recently wed at a British registry office in Walsall, a small town about two and a half hours northwest of London. Choudhury, who was raised in a traditional Bangladeshi household, said that he was bullied at school where his classmates spit on him and dumped trash bins over his head and was eventually banned from his local mosque.The 24-year-old attempted to change his sexual orientation with medication and religious pilgrimages to Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. But he grew more depressed and suicidal and tried to overdose in 2015. After being released from the hospital, he sat crying on a park bench, which is when his now-husband approached and comforted him.
They began living together shortly after and Choudhury proposed to Rogan in 2016. The small ceremony, in which they wore traditional Bangladeshi Muslim attire, included a few close friends and loved ones. Choudhury’s family does not support his marriage and did not attend the wedding.
Despite the animosity he’s experienced, Choudhury says God is "in his heart" and that he wouldn’t ever change religions. He said, "I want to say to all people going through the same thing that it’s okay. We're going to show the whole world that you can be gay and Muslim."
| I pray that the world doesn't show them otherwise. |