Gay tunisie
Many Faces of Gay in Tunisia
In Tunisia gay animation has many faces: from secretive post-marital same-sex-not-gay quickies among straight husbands, to ongoing pre-marital youth same-sex-not-gay with friends, to totally gay friendship networks among different age peers, to monogamous boyfriend couples to discrete liaisons from the internet. It is not easy to label the ‘scene’ here because it is not organized, not open, not admitted, yet it’s cruisy, sexy, internet-connected and quite populous. There is no LGBT group or office.
During my attend I chatted with two very different gay men, one a young trainee at a local university and the other a retired Italian resident of Tunis now self-employed. Their gay worlds are similar and different.
A Youthful Pupil With a Long Future
Ari, a university student studying architecture, and I met at tea time and had creamy thick warm chocolate at a trendy modern coffee shop and later went for pizza across the street.
Ari is a gregarious gay youth of 20 maturing out of his twink years. Thoughtful, expressive, verbal (4 languages), introspective, narcissistic and gay. All of which fuel an adventurous liveliness of discovery
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Last updated: 22 July 2025
Types of criminalisation
- Criminalises LGBT people
- Criminalises sexual activity between males
- Criminalises sexual activity between females
Summary
Same-sex sexual task is prohibited under the Penal Code 1913, which criminalises acts of ‘sodomy’. This provision carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment. Both men and women are criminalised under this law.
Tunisia adopted the ‘sodomy’ provision in its 1913 Penal Code, which is still in coerce today (subject to amendments). Tunisia was at the age a protectorate declare of France, which had by that moment decriminalised same-sex sexual activity in its have laws.
There is substantial evidence of the law being enforced in recent years, with LGBT people being frequently subject to arrest. Local organisations have reported hundreds of arrests since the 2011 Revolution. Detained people are regularly subjected to forced anal examinations, a rehearse which has been described as “medically worthless” by the UN and which amounts to to
Tunisia: Authorities step up crackdown on LGBTI individuals with wave of arrests
Authorities in Tunisia have stepped up their crackdown on LGBTI individuals, carrying out dozens of arrests over recent months, said Amnesty International today.
Between 26 September 2024 and 31 January 2025 at least 84 people in the cities of Tunis, Hammamet, Sousse and El Kef – mainly lgbtq+ men and trans women – were arrested, arbitrarily detained and unjustly prosecuted solely based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, according to the Tunisian NGO Damj Association for Justice and Equality.
“The recent spike in arrests targeting LGBTI people is an alarming setback for human rights in Tunisia. No one should deal with arrest, prosecution or imprisonment based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Instead of harassing individuals based on gender stereotypes and deeply entrenched homophobic attitudes, the Tunisian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release anyone detained because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity and introduce safeguards to protect the rights of LGBTI people,” said Diana Eltahawy, Deputy Regional Dire
Gay Guide Tunisia
According to article 230, homosexuality is illegal in Tunisia and can be punished with up to three years of imprisonment. Compared to other Muslim countries, convictions of homosexuals are less frequent, but the figures for recent years are still alarming: while 56 people were convicted in 2016, 126 were convicted in 2018. At the inception of 2019, one case caused international attention: A juvenile student who reported rape by two men who allegedly robbed him of his possessions was finally sentenced to eight months' imprisonment for homosexual acts. Even tourists are not safe from the law, so be careful, especially when it comes to sex for sale: nasty blackmail attempts could be the consequence. In a TV interview in 2012, the Tunisian Minister of Human Rights rejected the demand for the abolition of article 230 - on the grounds that freedom of expression had its limits and "perverse" homosexuals needed medical treatment. Homosexuals are subject to grave discrimination and physical violence in the country. But there is progress: in 2015 the first official LGBT organisation in the region, Association Shams, was founded, which among other things advocates t