- Red Chewing Gum, Akram Zaatari, fiction,  2000, 11’
A video letter that tells a story of separation between two men, set within the context of the changing Hamra, a formerly booming commercial center. The video looks at image-making in relationship to consumption and the possession of desired subjects. It examines issues of desire and power, [...]

In response to a call to action made by Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), Helem organized a sit-in at the Ugandan consulate in Beirut on November 9th 2009.
This came as a response to the proposed anti-homosexuality bill in Uganda that violates a number of human rights. While it sentences homosexuals to life, the bill issues a [...]

On Wednesday, November 4, 2009, I was invited to Brussels by Amnesty International to take part in a conference entitled “Activism in Dangerous Countries”.
I presented Meem and underlined how its structure and tools were different from mainstream LGBTQ activism. My main concern was to have the audience understand that our struggle is multi-lateral, that we [...]

Ok, so, coming out! The big bad wolf that eats up all our energy! Why do we all feel so threatened by this experience? We walk around a dark room for three days trying to figure out the perfect words to say so we could simply affirm our identity, our sexuality, our selves. We try [...]

IGLYO’s “This is Who We Are” conference held this summer in Amsterdam allowed for 4 days of cross-cultural examination of the status of LGBTQ issues in the world. Youth from all continents joined together in what is called the “gay capital of the world” to discuss the situation of LGBTQ issues in their respective countries.
The [...]

As the international coordination office of the Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies (CSBR), Women for Women’s Human Rights (WWHR) – New Ways organized the 2nd CSBR Sexuality Institute in Istanbul, Turkey on 11 – 18 September 2009.
During the seven-day gathering, Siti Musdah Mulia, an expert on Islamic jurisprudence and chairperson of [...]

يقول ابراهيم محمود في كتابه المتعة المحظورة: الشذوذ الجنسي في تاريخ العرب: “اذا كانت اللغة هي هوية الانسان، علامته الفارقة، فهي كذلك الدالة عليه، والمؤرخة له في المقابل… ان اللغة مجتمع قائم بذاته، من حيث قابليتها للتحوّل، والتجذر في الذاكرة، والاغتناء، وتفكك المعنى وموت معنى وانبعاث آخر. وهي في تحولاتها هذه، تشكل تاريخا واضحا حول صانعها، [...]

When I first read Bareed Mista3jil I was on my way to Ramallah. I was waiting on the Bridge, waiting to cross, stuck in that no-man’s-land that is the Jordan River. Of course we were being made to wait in the oppressive summer heat in a bus with barely any air-conditioning. When I realized the [...]

On Monday, August 10, 2009, Nahwa Al Muwatiniya hosted Lawyer Nizar Saghieh for an open discussion about Article 534. You can listen to (or download) the full speech given by Mr. Saghieh here:
nizar-saghiyeh-10-Aug-09.mp3
We’re also re-posting “Notes on Article 534″ by permission from our friends at the Gay-Straight Alliance. They are not the same things the [...]