Meem members, their mothers, family members, and friends, gathered together today for another Bring-A-Friend discussion, which occurs on the last Sunday of every month at the Womyn House. “I suspected my daughter was gay when she was 16 or 17, but I didn’t say anything. I always respected her privacy so I waited for her to talk to me,” one supportive mother said. “Five years later, she finally did, and amidst a lot of tears, I assured her that I loved her and was proud of her no matter what. I was mostly proud of her finding and asserting herself in this difficult society. And my advice to all of you is to find yourself – even if you have to lose the world.”

Another mother at the meeting said she struggled a long time with blaming herself for her daughter’s sexuality. “I finally sought the help of a psychologist,” she told the packed room of lesbians and their friends, “who helped me realize that I had done nothing wrong.” The heart-tugging conversation included many personal stories – some happy, some sad – from lesbians and their gay male friends who came out to close friends, parents, and siblings. “I hope to one day bring my mother to this meeting,” one Meem member said. “There is nothing I want more than to be honest with her.”

In an initiative to reach out to our straight allies and share our issues with our friends and family, Meem organized the first of monthly Bring-A-Friend meetings at the Safe House. Member brought their trusted friends and family members and gave them a tour of our house, services, and programs. The group of 30-something people then sat all together and had a 2-hour discussion about coming out and the struggle for equality in Lebanon.

Yep! We never thought it would happen in our first year, but we were delighted to host a Meem member’s mother in our Womyn House in August. She met with her daughter’s friends at Meem and got to know more about our activities. Her acceptance and love towards her lesbian daughter were an inspiration to everyone. Ok, so it’s one mother out of 254, but it’s a start!

Our supportive friends and family members are very important to us, so we organized a Bring-A-Straight-Friend Meeting in July, after which attendees were invited to visit the Womyn House and discuss their own perspectives on the coming out process.