Tunisian Human Rights Minister’s Remarks Spark Debate on Homophobia
By Charles Baeder
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Feb 9 2012
While the newfound liberty of expression in Tunisia has allowed LGBT advocates to speak out more than ever before, recent homophobic comments from Tunisia’s minister of human rights have called into question the entitlements of the nascent movement.
On January 28 a public demonstration called upon the government to take a more active role in guaranteeing the rights of Tunisia’s homosexual minority. However, this exposure of a subject long considered taboo aroused vitriol from segments of Tunisian society.
During an interview with talk-show host Samir el Wafi, on February 4, Samir Dilou stated – in response to a comment concerning whether the homosexual community should be afforded the freedom to express themselves openly across all mediums – that “freedom of expression has its limits.â€
The discussion concluded with Dilou and Wafi stating in agreement that homosexuality was a sexual perversion that requires medical treatment and that sexual orientation is not a human right. Their statements were not without response.
GayDay magazine,Tunisia’s first publication dedicated to the homosexual community in the Middle East and North Africa, recently published a letter of reply to the remarks.
“I say to his highness the minister for the sake of his memory, since perhaps he has forgotten or ignored, that the World Health Organization – since 1990 – announced that homosexuality has been removed from the list of mental illnesses, concluding a century in which it had been considered as a medical condition,†retorted Paloma Negra, a writer for the magazine, in an article entitled, “I’m a Human, Too, Minister of Human Rights.â€
“It was both laughable and tragic to watch the live insult and mockery of one who claims to be the minister of human rights for a constituency that continues to suffer from various forms of exclusion, injustice, and marginalization,†continued Negra.
El Wafi, the talk-show host from Hannibal TV who interviewed Dilou, had a previous reputation for expressing homophobic sentiment. Following the demonstrations on January 28, el Wafi wrote on his Facebook page – followed by over 55,000 subscribers – a scathing indictment of the protestors and their tacit sponsor – GayDay magazine. “In the name of freedom and in a conservative country whose people are facing a struggle between modernity and tradition; a magazine for fags dares to come out and challenge all the circumstances, rules, morals, ethics and customs,†el Wafi stated.
“Do we need further strife because a very small minority expresses its perversion… not caring about the feelings and the sacred beliefs of a majority?†he added.
His post currently has 158 likes, 80 shares, and 50 comments.
While these comments have revealed the prevalence of homophobia from socially conservative political constituencies, even those affiliated with the socially progressive side of the political spectrum have been hesitant to answer the call of upholding the rights of Tunisia’s homosexual community.
Selma Baccar, a representative of the Modern Democratic Pole (PDM) – a socially liberal opposition party – stated her conviction that addressing the rights of Tunisian homosexuals is not a high-priority issue. She claimed that Dilou’s comments were intended to divert attention away from the crucial socio-economic challenges facing the country and to provoke a response from the progressive, leftist parties that could alienate them from elements of the Muslim community.
In her article, Paloma conveyed her dismay that the dialogue surrounding Dilou’s comments have revealed that the inclusive society envisioned during the revolution is still a ways off.
“This is what has been achieved in the country of the revolution. The revolution that we thought was, or almost was, a revolution of dignity and freedom,†Paloma wrote.
Written in Collaboration with Mischa Benoit-Lavelle and Samia Fitouri
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