 Membership has risen above 200.The group was formed as an offshoot of Helem, the general GLBT organization started in 2002 in Lebanon, again the first-ever gay organization established in the Arab World.The name “Meem” is derived from the Arabic letter “m” (Meem) which stands for "majmouaat mou'azara lil-mar’a al-mithliya" (a support group for lesbian women).