Middle East & Africa | Come out and listen

Gay-rights activists take to the air in Tunisia

A new online radio station is the first to cater to Arab LGBT people

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BOUHDID BELHEDI is not easily intimidated. The campaigner for LGBT rights has been assaulted by Islamic extremists outside his house in Tunis and beaten by a mob as a policeman watched. Since helping to launch Shams Rad, an online radio station catering to LGBT people, he has received thousands of online threats and insults.

The station, which began broadcasting out of Tunisia in December, is the first of its kind in the Arab world. It is on six days a week and reaches 10,000 people in 15 countries, according to Shams, the Tunisian group behind the effort. The Dutch embassy provides funding. The aim is to create a space to talk about LGBT issues that is not “dominated by imams”, says Mounir Baatour of Shams.

The challenge is staying within the law. Anal sex is punishable by up to three years in jail in Tunisia. A court once suspended Shams’ operating licence on dubious grounds. Hosts are careful with their language, so as not to be seen as promoting homosexual activity. Nobody comes out on air. Common topics include the science behind homosexuality and the treatment of gay people.

“We’re in 2018 and the Arab street is still homophobic!” said a host recently. “They still use the word ‘pervert’.” Another decried the Arab world’s rejection of “all international resolutions and declarations” dealing with homosexuality. Songs by Mashrou’ Leila, a Lebanese rock band with an openly gay singer, are interspersed throughout the shows.

Since the Arab spring, as gay people have become more visible, homophobic attacks have increased in Tunisia, say human-rights groups. The police often look the other way, or arrest the victims. Men can be detained for “looking gay” or being effeminate, says Badr Baabou of Damj, a pressure group. No witnesses are required for a suspect to be found guilty. Often the only incriminating evidence comes from a rectal examination, which many other countries have outlawed.

In other ways Tunisia is at the forefront of LGBT rights in the Arab world. It is the only country in north Africa to have legalised groups that focus on LGBT issues. And the government has pledged to end forced rectal examinations. Still, the hosts of Shams Rad have plenty to talk about.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline "Come out and listen"

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