Category — Workshops

During the weekend of the 20th-21st of March 2010, Meem organized a gender and sexualities camp which gathered about 20 persons.

The themes discussed during the weekend ranged from analyzing gender as a social construct to the binary concept of sex and gender as a fixed formula.

Standardization of sexual organs was also discussed specially through  unnecessary surgeries and interventions to protect the hetero patriarchal system which generates different forms of oppression such as sexism, heterosexism and transphobia.

Feminism had its share through an overview of feminist and women’s movements in the region as well as different types of feminist thoughts. We also discussed how the feminist and lgbtq movement advocated and still do for freedom of gender expression, as for  Transfeminism, it  broadens the concept of gender, holding that gender is a question of performativity, choice and right, the right to gender ambiguity and gender equality.

It was a very special day for us at Meem when two mothers and other family members visited the Womyn House for the first time and participated in our November Bring-A-Friend discussion meeting. The mothers spoke with a lot of love and honesty about their feelings when their daughters came out to them as lesbians, how they came to accept it, and the range of emotions that accompany the experience. Aunts, brothers, straight friends and gay friends also contributed to the discussion.

To commemorate the Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day set aside to remember people who were killed because of anti-transgender hate or prejudice, Meem screened and discussed “Boys Don’t Cry,” and hosted an interactive workshop on transgender identity led by trans activists. Participants learned more about the particular struggles and discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

Our Activist Development workshops attracted large audiences in October. Meem members held interactive workshops on Script-Writing, How to Lead a Meeting, and Stenciling, among others.

A group of Meems has been holding weekly Photography workshops on identity. The participants are learning to work their cameras, as well as exploring the different layers of their personal identities through photography.