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Association Shams (Arabic: جمعية شمس, romanized: Jamʿiyyat Shams) is a Tunisian organization for LGBT rights, campaigning for sexual minority rights in Tunisia. The non-governmental, non-profit organisation derives its name from the Sufi mystic Shams Tabrizi (with shams also being Arabic for "sun") and its logo is made up of two whirling dervishes.[1]
Association Shams was legally registered under Tunisian law on May 18, 2015.[1] The focus of the organisation is the decriminalisation of homosexuality. On their website, they published a set of other goals such as:[2]
- Raising awareness about sexually transmitted diseases
- Mentoring and supporting sexual minorities around the country by providing financial, emotional and psychological help.
- Defending the rights of minorities and providing a safe environment regardless of their sexual orientation or gender difference.
The organisation is known for campaigns attracting media attention for LGBT issues in Tunisia.
In 2017, Radio Shams was created to help give LGBT voices in North Africa more representation. The founder was sent 4000 death threats within the first two weeks of operation.[3] In the station's first six months they had 10,000 listeners a week across 15 different countries. The show is streamed online six days a week.[4] The project is funded by the Dutch embassy in Tunis.[5]
In 2019, Mounir Baatour, the head of the organisation, was the candidate of the Tunisian Liberal Party for the 2019 Tunisian presidential election and was reported as the first openly gay presidential candidate in Tunisia by media outlets like NBC, The Independent, Raseef22, Daraj Media and Vice, but was excluded from running,[6][7][8][9] because he had been sentenced to prison for sexual abuse of a minor in 2013.[10]
In 2020, Baatour claimed that Tunisian authorities had recognized the existing same-sex marriage of a Tunisian and French man and several Western (queer) media reported about it. Tunisian officials clarified that this was not the case.[11]
Backlash
The existence of Association Shams has been received with scepticism by Tunisians. Several public figures were opposed to the existence of an LGBT activist group in the country.[12] Homosexuality is still criminalized under Tunisian law. As stated by the Article 230 of the Tunisian Penal code, homosexuality is a punishable crime and people accused of it can face up to three years in prison.[13] The authorities accuse people with sodomy without proper evidence and oblige them to undergo anal tests that have no medical relevance.[14]
In December 2015, a controversy took place in several local media outlets and following that a case was filed against the organisation by Kamel Hedhili, the head of state litigation.[15] The government stated that Shams is violating the association law of the country and that it deviated from its main course.[16] The activities of the NGO were suspended for a whole month starting from January 4, 2016, by a decree of the Tunisian Court of First Instance.[17]
One of the founders and leading LGBT activists of the organisation, Ahmed Ben Amor, faced harassments and death threats upon openly sharing his views and campaigning for the NGO on Tunisian TV in 2016.[18] Following the controversy, in 2017, supermarkets and public spaces banned the entrance of homosexuals to their premises. The sign "No Homosexuals allowed" showed up in different neighbourhoods around the capital city Tunis.[19]
Criticism by other LGBT groups in Tunisia and the Arabic-speaking world
In 2018, three other LGBT groups in Tunisia, Mawjoudin, Damj and Chouf, released a common declaration asking for the boycott of Shams. According to them, Mounir Baatour, the head of the organisation, had publicly exposed the sexual orientation of LGBT people, faced accusations of sexual harassment and was supportive of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine.[9]
In 2019, Mawjoudin asked Baatour to resign from his presidential candidacy, repeating claims of sexual harassment against him. Baatour allegedly promised homeless gay minors shelter and then sexually harassed them. Baatour himself denies the allegations, citing that his alleged victims of abuse could sue him in case this was true.[10] My.Kali magazine criticized that media reports about Baatour's presidency often failed to mention his 2013 imprisonment for sexual abuse, failed to give space to other LGBT groups in Tunisia in their reporting and that media reports mentioning his support for Israel contributed to stereotypes in the Arabic-speaking world that LGBT people were supporters of Zionism.[20]
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