In Tunisia Doctors Oppose Forced Anal Exams to Test for Homosexuality

According to 19th century folklore an anal examination will reveal whether someone has had anal sex. Using their fingers or foreign objects the examiner assesses the tone of the sphincter muscle and the shape of the anus and then makes a determination. This is all less scientific than astrology.

Tunisia is among a number of countries that still utilize this humiliating and torturous examination. However, the country's doctors are trying to put a halt to the practice. The National Council for the Medical Order of Tunisia has issued a statement calling upon physicians to halt forced anal and genital examinations. The organization asserts that doctors must inform potential victims that they have a constitutional right to refuse the examination.

Sadly, I doubt that this will stop the practice. Tunisian authorities are likely to recruit a cadre of “experts” who are not doctors to perform these exams. So, to sum it up, superstition makes it illegal to be gay and tests of gayness have no basis in medical science.

Related content: