Our organisation, Naz and Matt Foundation, was founded because a community and a conservative religious family did not understand what it means to be born gay. They saw it as…
Foundation Wins IKWRO Award For Its Work Tackling Honour Based Violence
We are truly honoured and thankful for Naz and Matt Foundation to have been awarded by IKWRO, the inspirational “Iranian & Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation”, an award for ‘Outstanding Organisation Tackling “Honour” Based…
Can you be Queer and have Faith?
Navigating faith and queer identity can be tough, and often it can seem impossible to reconcile the two. On Tuesday Feb 26th, Naz and Matt Foundation teamed up with the…
Foundation delivers workshops at NASUWT Teachers’ Conference
We are proud to have spoken at the NASUWT Teachers’ Union Conference in Birmingham about our work tackling religious and cultural homophobia in schools. On Saturday 23rd February the NASUWT…
Foundation Delivers Full Day of School Talks in York
Foundation delivers full day of ‘religion, homophobia and bullying’ school talks during LGBT History Month for Queen Ethelburga’s School in York.
To Chechnya, With Love – London’s protest against the LGBT purge in Chechnya
On Sunday 27th January 2019, a large group of protesters gathered in the pouring rain outside the Russian Embassy in London. They stood in solidarity with the LGBT+ community in…
A legal form of abuse: Conversion therapy
We speak to CNN about the hidden dangers of ‘conversion therapy’ and ‘gay cure therapy’ and why we must all work together to end this legal form of abuse. In…
Foundation delivers talk for Police Scotland and Women’s Aid Charity
On a cold foggy morning, Naz and Matt Foundation delivered their first talk in Scotland to a packed auditorium at headquarters of Police Scotland. We were invited by our friends…
BBC Radio 5 Live Investigates: Shocking LGBT+ Domestic Abuse
Galop, the LGBT+ anti-violence charity, recently completed a report based on the analysis of 626 domestic survivors between January 2013 and August 2017. Of the survivors in the research, 28%…
Foundation delivers moving monologue at Home Office conference
Our friends at Karma Nirvana invited Matt to speak alongside the legendary Jasvinder Sanghera CBE, founder of the charity and Britain’s most prominent campaigner tackling forced marriage and “honour based…
Foundation delivers workshops for FFLAG’s 25 Year Anniversary
As part of FFLAG’s 25 year anniversary celebrations we were invited to be part of a day long event in Manchester organised by the much loved charity. Our Foundation facilitated…
Foundation delivers ‘Religious Homophobia’ lecture at Oxford University
On a dark October evening, Naz and Matt Foundation delivered a powerful lecture at Oxford University, Lady Margaret Hall, to a full room of students and senior members of staff…
Foundation delivers training workshop to LGBTQI helpline
Switchboard, one of the most widely known LGBT+ helplines recently approached Naz and Matt Foundation to provide a custom training workshop for their helpline volunteers. Delivered during Switchboard’s AGM, the…
World Suicide Prevention Day
Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. Is today the day you reach out and ask for help? Is today the day you send that TXT message, email or make a…
Foundation joins Coronation Street for Manchester Pride
Coronation Street made headlines throughout this year for its groundbreaking lesbian Muslim storyline, inspired in part by our very own Naz and the experiences he sadly faced from his own…
Matt interviewed for Karma Nirvana
As a Survivor Ambassador for Karma Nirvana, Matt was interviewed about Naz, honour abuse and shame.
Pride In London: 48 Volunteers march with Naz and Matt Foundation
Naz and Matt Foundation and 48 fabulous volunteers marched through the streets of the UK capital for London Pride on Saturday the 7th of July 2018. We marched to raise…
HARM – Honour Abuse Research Matrix Network Launches
Thursday 5th July 2018 saw the launch of the much needed HARM – The Honour Abuse Research Matrix Network at the University of Central Lancashire. Headed by Dr. Roxanne Khan…
Foundation’s response: Banning ‘gay cure’ therapies under the ‘LGBT action plan’
Naz and Matt Foundation was interviewed by BBC News 24 about the UK Government’s announcement to ban so called ‘gay cure therapy’ (also called ‘conversion therapy’).
Will a UK ban on gay conversion therapy work?
Writing for NewStatesmen, Precious Adesina interviews Matt about ‘gay cure therapy’ and the need to criminalise it. ‘Late in 2017, an assistant pastor in Anfield, Liverpool recommended to a new…
Religious homophobia is something that we all need to be more aware of
“There is help out there for people who are suffering from religious homophobia. Matthew Mahmood-Ogston is the founder and trustee of a charity called Naz and Matt Foundation, which aims…
July Support Meetup for Religious Parents & LGBTQI+ Individuals
This session will be a very important date as it will mark exactly 4 years to the day that my darling Naz sadly passed away on July 30th 2014. We…
Foundation delivers moving speech at Birmingham Gay Symphony Orchestra anniversary concert
Birmingham Gay Symphony Orchestra is one of only three LGBTQ+ orchestras in the UK and is made up of musicians who identify as LGBTQ+ and heterosexual/straight allies. The orchestra provides…
A gay Muslim who took his own life has inspired a Coronation Street storyline
“A Coronation Street actress took inspiration for her role from the real-life story of a gay Muslim man committing suicide in 2014. Bhavna Limbachia plays Coronation Street’s first openly gay…
Actress Shelley King gives her support to Naz and Matt Foundation
The Coronation Street actress recently gave her support to Naz and Matt Foundation during a live broadcast of ITV’s This Morning (April 18th 2018). In the hit British soap Shelley plays…
Coronation Street’s Bhavna Limbachia: Lesbian storyline aims to educate people
Coronation Street star Bhavna Limbachia has said the Kana (Kate + Rana) storyline is not there to offend people but to educate and spark conversation. The actress is playing the…
Matt and Bhavna Limbachia on BBC Breakfast talking Corrie and religious homophobia
Coronation Street’s Bhavna Limbachia and Matt were invited in to talk about the hard-hitting Rana + Kate storyline currently in the soap, and its connection to the work being done…
BBC Asian Network’s Qasa Alom interviews Matt about ‘coming out’ to religious parents
What should a young gay person do if they struggling to ‘coming out’ their family?
His boyfriend of 13 years committed suicide – now he’s fighting back
I talk to Gay Star News about losing my darling Naz, the impact of honour based abuse on the LGBTQI+ community, and our Foundation’s recent work with the incredible charity…
Advice for parents struggling to accept their LGBTQI+ children – BBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network invited me in to talk about our progress over the last four years since my darling Naz passed away. What have we been doing? How has our…