Meem is a Lebanese

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

 LBTQ women group that was founded in August 2007 as the first ever lesbian organization established in the Arab World

Arab world

The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...

. The full name is مجموعة مؤازرة للمرأة المثليّة , pronounced /Majmou3at Mou'azara lil Mar’a al-Mithliya/ (translated as Support Group for Lesbian Women).

It aims in supporting lesbian

Lesbian

Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...

, bisexual, transgender

Transgender

Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....

 (including male-to-female and female-to-male), queer

Queer

Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...

, and women questioning their sexual orientation in Lebanon. Membership has risen above 200.

The group was formed as an offshoot of Helem

Helem

Helem is a Lebanese non-profit organization working on improving the legal and social status of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people . Helem is the first LGBT advocacy group in the Arab World...

, the general GLBT organization started in 2002 in Lebanon, again the first-ever gay

Gay

Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....

 organization established in the Arab World.

Origin of the name

The name “Meem” is derived from the Arabic letter “m” (Meem

Meem

Meem is the letter Mem , the thirteenth letter of many Semitic language abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew and ArabicMeem may also refer to:*Meem , a lesbian organization in Lebanon...

) which stands for "majmouaat mou'azara lil-mar’a al-mithliya" (a support group for lesbian women). In Arabic, the letter looks like this (in Arabic م ). The letter "meem" as an initial for the word lesbian (in Arabic مثليّة pronounced /mithliya/) also symbolizes the anonymity of lesbians in the Arab world.

Aims

The group offers community support, psychological counseling, an activity center, legal support, social events, and the opportunity to work on social change. Meem also hosts a Womyn House that serves as an activity and resource center in Beirut. Meem is based on values of equality, support, confidentiality, and respect. The group was created on the idea that women should be encouraged to empower themselves and each other through mutual support. Meem is a closed, private group, not out of fear, but because they work hard on guarding the safety and security of our members. It believes in empowerment through self-organizing.

The goal of Meem is to create a safe space in Lebanon where lesbians can meet, talk, discuss issues, share experiences, and work on improving their lives and themselves.

Membership

Membership in Meem is restricted only to LBTQ women who are Lebanese (anywhere in the world) or living in Lebanon (of any nationality). These restrictions are there because a support group needs to remain focused. We are, however, working on providing support services for lesbians all over the Arab World.

Publications

In 2009, "Bareed Mista3jil" is a book published by the Lebanese lesbian Meem organization in Beirut. Available in both English and Arabic versions, the book is a collection of 41 true and personal stories from lesbians, bisexuals, queer and questioning women, and transgender persons from all over Lebanon.

See also

• Helem
  Helem
  Helem is a Lebanese non-profit organization working on improving the legal and social status of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people . Helem is the first LGBT advocacy group in the Arab World...
  
  
• LGBT rights in Lebanon
• Yogyakarta Principles in Action
  Yogyakarta Principles in Action
  Yogyakarta Principles in Action is a movement for activists and human rights defenders to promote human rights, especially those of LGBTI around the Yogyakarta Principles, supported by ARC International, Hivos and Dreilinden Gesellschaft für gemeinnütziges Privatkapitel, Germany.They published the...
  
  
• List of LGBT rights organisations