Tunisia Gay Travel Index 2026
Score = Legal 10/60 + Scene 0/40 = 10/100 · thin scene coverage — legal-weighted provisional score
Updated 7 Oct 2026 · release 2026.3.
A live score, not an annual report — it recomputes as laws, rulings and the scene itself change. See what moved in 2026.
Legal composite · Legal milestones · Scene on the ground · Frequently asked questions
Same-sex intimacy is criminalized or actively repressed here. Consult your government travel advisories before any trip; this listing is informational, not an endorsement of travel.
Legal composite — 10/60 points
| Criminalization | Criminalized |
|---|---|
| Partnership | ● No not recognised |
| Anti-discrimination | ● No |
| Gender recognition | Not possible — no legal gender recognition |
| Enforcement reality | Active enforcement — arrests and prosecutions continue |
Research note: Article 230 prosecutions, anal exams continue (HRW) — GayOut Index 2026.3 legal research (ILGA World / Human Dignity Trust / Rainbow Europe / Equaldex).
Legal composite, five components
Fulfilment per component (100 = maximum). Weights: criminalisation 35% · partnership 20% · enforcement 20% · anti-discrimination 15% · gender recognition 10%.
Legal milestones
Background, not travel advice — how the current status came to be. For planning a trip, rely on the current score, tier and scene sections above; 2026 movements are tracked in the sourced change log.
- 1913The French colonial Penal Code introduced Article 230, criminalizing sodomy with up to three years' imprisonment. ↗
- 2015Shams became Tunisia's first officially registered LGBT organization, even as six Kairouan students were jailed under Article 230. ↗
- 2016Human Rights Watch documented forced anal examinations and abuse of men arrested on homosexuality charges. ↗
- 2018A presidential commission on individual liberties formally recommended decriminalizing homosexuality, though parliament never acted on it. ↗
- 2019Lawyer Mounir Baatour became the first openly gay presidential candidate in Tunisia and the Arab world. ↗
- TodayArticle 230 remained in force and actively enforced, with arrests and anal examinations still reported. ↗
Sources: ILGA World · Human Dignity Trust · Equaldex. Each milestone links to a reference source ↗.
Scene on the ground — 0/40 points
Detailed scene metrics (for researchers)
| Gay bars per million | 0 |
|---|---|
| Saunas per million | 0 |
| Events per million | 0 |
| Coverage grade | — |
| Scene score | 0/40 (raw scene index 0/100) |
Frequently asked questions
Is Tunisia safe for gay travellers?
Tunisia is rated High risk on the GayOut Gay Travel Index 2026: same-sex intimacy is criminalized or actively repressed. Its legal safety component is 10/60. On enforcement reality, arrests and prosecutions continue.
Is same-sex marriage legal in Tunisia?
No. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Tunisia. Overall legal status: Criminalized.
Does Tunisia have a gay scene?
GayOut currently lists no LGBTQ+ venues in Tunisia, so any gay scene is limited, informal or not publicly documented.