Treat Me Like Your Mother

This photographic documentary uncovers the intimate experiences of four trans women from Lebanon, recounting tales spanning from pioneering Lebanese state-funded gender-affirming surgery in 1997 to vanished safe spaces today. Together, Em Abed, Jamal Abdo, Antonella, and Mama Jad present an untold history to the backdrop of what is arguably the first photographic archive of trans women in Lebanon.

Treat Me Like Your Mother is a photographic scrapbook, with images from the women’s personal archives, as well as home video footage from photographer and director Mohamad Abdouni’s family vault. He weaves in his own experiences growing up and his exploration of gender as an adult, accompanied by the voices of the four women. They talk about the Raouche strip—a queer haven on the coast of Beirut—remember trans friends, and reflect on lives lived amid war, chaos, and uncertainty.

Abdouni’s film explores the social integration of the trans community in Beirut over the past four decades. It stands as a heartfelt tribute to the power of community, friendship, and Motherhood in the face of adversity.