«Helem» means «dream» in arabic.
It’s also the acronym for “Lebanese protection for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals”.
Born in 2004, Helem Montreal originates from Helem in Lebanon, and initially had the Lebanese LGBTQ+ community as its target audience. Today, the organization is dedicated to all of Montreal’s Arabic-speaking LGBTQ+ communities.
Our goals
Bring together
Bring together LGBTQ people from the Arabic-speaking community of Quebec
Maintain
Maintain and develop an environment that promotes the development of individuals
Awareness
Make our community aware of the reality of human rights and problems of LGBTQ people
Represent
Represent our members within our community and the LGBTQ community of Quebec
Promote
Promote the acceptance of LGBTQ people in our community in order to fight homophobia
Collaborate
Collaborate with local, national and international organizations in order to achieve our missions
Welcome
Welcome gay refugees and refer them to existing local resources