Joining the Group

August 27, 2010

Membership in Meem is open to lesbian, bisexual, queer and questioning women and transgender persons (including male-to-female and female-to-male) ONLY. It is also ONLY open to those living in Lebanon (of any nationality) or to the Lebanese anywhere in the world. We also welcome Arab queer women and transgendered persons. If you do not fit these criteria, you are welcome to become a Friend of Meem, but you cannot be a member of the group. It’s not that we discriminate, we just have a very focused mission to a very specific target group.

So first read the rules below, then send us an email, telling us a bit about yourself, how you heard about us, and why you’d like to join. If you are invited by another member of the group, please mention their name. It helps. We will then guide you through the screening process which is done online, by phone, and through a private meeting.

The Group Rules

  1. Meem is a circle of trust. We are built on trust. Trust is the only thing that keeps us together. If you want to join the group, you must be worthy of our trust and you must be ready to put your trust in the rest of the members. Everything we do is confidential, and we trust you to maintain the privacy of Meem and all its members if you join the group. We are very strict about this.
  2. Meem is not a lesbian or trans zoo. We do not exist to provide you with a display of women of different sexualities or persons of a variety of genders for your university project or TV program or sexual fantasies. Don’t send us emails saying: “I love lesbians! Please send me the emails of lesbians so I can meet them and ask them questions and see what they look like.”
  3. Meem is not a dating service. We do not exist so that lesbians can find girlfriends, partners, or dates. We exist so that lesbians and transgender persons can find a supporting group of friends. Don’t send us emails saying: “I am looking for my soul mate,” and don’t come to meetings with the purpose of gathering phone numbers and emails just so you can boast about how many queer women and transgender persons you know. We don’t care.
  4. Meem does NOT out people. We guard the privacy of our members in every way we can. You are forbidden to repeat the names or any private information of the members outside of the group, even to your friends. You also cannot ask questions like “Do you know Shakeebi? Is she a lesbian??”
  5. Meem is a safe space. We exist so that queer women and transgender persons can express and explore their ideas and feelings. We do not judge anyone. You should be open to other opinions and respect them at all times – just like yours will be respected. No abusive or offensive language or behaviors will be tolerated in Meem. You cannot say “I don’t like bisexuals” or “Transgender women are silly.” Respect people’s identities just like you expect others to respect yours.
  6. Meem is tolerant of all differences. We do NOT, however, tolerate hate speech, racism, discrimination, political arguments, sectarianism, sexism, prejudice, or other forms of intolerance – whether in blatant or subtle expression. If you are not sure what intolerance is, we will be happy to send you some links to read.
  7. Meem does not like lesbian drama, otherwise known as “Al Habal.” Whatever personal problems you have with other queer women and transgender persons, ex-lovers or ex-friends, you leave them outside of Meem. There is no such thing as “But it’s a small community.” You must at all times respect every other member without exception. You cannot say “I will not join the group if she’s in it!” Get over it.
  8. Meem is positive! We are all living in difficult circumstances, and we all have our share of problems. We do not exist so that we keep on wallowing in misery and hopelessness. We exist to support each other find our happy, beautiful place despite all the hardship. Come to Meem with a positive, healthy attitude. We don’t like negative energies, paranoia, or doom.

If you are unsure or disrespectful of any of the above rules, don’t bother contacting us. If you like and agree to these rules, you are very welcome to send us an email request to join the group. Ahla ou sahla :)