Congressional candidate Melissa Chaudhry has ignited controversy with her public statements regarding LGBTQ+ rights. Chaudhry, who is running for Congress in Washington State, told local newspaper The Stranger that her campaign website does not explicitly mention gay rights because she is "careful about her Muslim constituents."
Despite this, Chaudhry asserted that she supports justice, healthcare, and protections in housing and employment for gay individuals. However, when pressed on why these issues were not featured on her platform, she stated, "Because a lot of Muslims do not feel that way, unfortunately."
Andrew Ashiofu, chair of the Washington Stonewall Democrats, a caucus for LGBTQ+ Democrats, rebuked Chaudhry's comments. "Equally alarming is her acknowledgment that she omitted LGBTQ+ protections from her platform because she feared it would alienate parts of her coalition," Ashiofu wrote on Facebook. "Our community is not expendable. LGBTQ+ rights are not optional. They are foundational to any candidate seeking Democratic support."
Chaudhry, who is white and wears a headscarf, is married to Zahid Chaudhry, a disabled immigrant Army veteran who was detained by ICE in 2025. The couple has two children. Chaudhry also shared personal connections to the LGBTQ+ community, stating she was a founding member of her high school's Gay-Straight Alliance and that her sister is in a same-sex relationship. "I'm delighted for her, and will protect her and her partner's rights to life, liberty, and freedom to love each other, no matter what it takes," Chaudhry stated. She also mentioned having close friends who are a lesbian couple. "If you are queer, and you are wondering if you and your rights are safe with me, I assure you from the bottom of my heart, you are, you have always been, and you always will be," she added.
In response to Ashiofu's criticism, Chaudhry commented on his post, asserting that "dignity, safety and opportunity for all" are the foundation of her campaign and that she has been "a friend and advocate for equality and justice for ALL people" her entire life.
Ashiofu, however, told The Stranger that he would not respond further, viewing Chaudhry's defense as an attempt to deflect blame and citing her personal connections as comparable to a racist claiming to have Black friends. A 2025 report from the Pew Research Center indicated that 41 percent of Muslims in the United States believe homosexuality should be accepted.