Tunisia: Pamphlets on same-sex relations struck from book fair
Sex-ed pamphlets have been removed from the Tunis International Book Fair, its director claimed on April 25th, according to AFP. The North African country still prosecutes same-sex relations and has recently seen a resurgence of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment.
The educational pamphlets purportedly answered frequently asked questions by teenagers and children about sexuality, including same-sex relations.
The Director, Mohamed Salah Kadri, told AFP that the booklets had been removed by representatives of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which produced them in coloration with the Tunisian Reproductive Health Association.
“We expressed our embarrassment about the content of these pamphlets, and the UNFPA representatives were understanding and removed them from their stand,” Kadri said.
UNFPA and the Tunisian Reproductive Health Association have not yet responded to AFP’s requests for comment
Article 230 of Tunisia’s penal criminalizes same-sex relations, with a punishment of up to three years in prison. The statute also permits authorities to carry out anal tests on individuals, a practice condemned by the UN Committee Against Torture.
Article 230, a relic of the of the French colonial era, has remained firmly in place since Tunisia gained independence in 1956 despite calls for it be scrapped from civil society groups.
READ: France’s FM visit to Morocco shadowed by homophobia
Since the North African country’s 2011 revolution, LGBTQ+ activists have been able to work more conspicuously despite legal and social norms. However, The New Arab reported on what activists dubbed a rising hate campaign against Tunisia’s LGBTQ+ community by President Kais Saied’s administration and misogynistic social media influencers on August 11th, 2023.
AFP / The New Arab
