Transgender Support

We’re a bunch of really cool trannies who look out for each other and want to bring more support, love, pleasure and justice  into this world of ours. This is why we’ve created our very own Transgender Project. It’s an initiative led mainly by the group’s transgender, genderqueer and transsexual members with the aim of creating and building a community of support and empowerment for trans persons in Lebanon. Our ultimate goal is to create a network of support within the medical, legal, social, educational and professional spheres where trans persons are respected and protected, not discriminated against, nor neglected.

Since April 2011, we have been meeting once a week for a general meeting, usually involving lots of chocolate, candy and energetic updates. A few of us also meet regularly (as in everyday) to work on different initiatives that fall within the following goals:

- Creating and building a community of support and empowerment for trans persons in Lebanon.

- Mapping out legal, medical, social and financial situations of trans persons through focus groups and discussions.

- Raising awareness on trans issues within local LGBT communities and groups.

- Informing and educating the public on trans issues through visible awareness campaigns.

- Creating and maintaining an accessible “trans self-help network” which includes lists of: trans-friendly physicians of all specializations (including psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, endocrinologists, plastic surgeons, gynecologists and urologists), lawyers, employers and companies, areas and locations, etc.

- Providing a temporary Safe House for trans persons who have survived current situations of verbal, physical and/or sexual abuse.

- Maintaining a website for outreach, awareness and visibility.

- Developing a hot-line service that would offer support to trans persons across Lebanon.

- Advocating for a network of support for trans people living in Arab societies.

Our team is going strong and the percentage of trans active members in Meem is getting pretty high. If you identify as a transgender individual and would like to contribute to any of the above initiatives, or if you’d like to pitch in your own, ahla w sahla, join us!

If you have any personal or general questions about gender identities, you can send an email to coordinator[at]meemgroup.org. All emails and inquiries will be handled with complete confidentiality.