A new online radio station is the first to cater to Arab LGBT people
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.
阿拉伯地区的第一个关于LGBT的网上电台开播，是在阿拉伯世界开了先河的。 尽管Bouhdid 受到了极端份子的攻击，但他还是不会那么轻易就被吓到的...
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.
dubious: unsure or uncertain: feeling doubt about something
intersperse: to put something at different places among other things
在突尼斯，肛交性行为是可能判处最高至3年的牢狱的... 电台在谈论内容的时候也很小心，不能违背法律，只能聊聊同性恋的科学性和怎么治疗同性恋等...
- phobic：这个词根要学一下
claustrophobic 密闭恐惧症
homophobic 恐同
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.
effeminate: having or showing qualities that are considered more suited to women than to men: not manly
rectal: relating to, affecting, or located near the rectum
在突尼斯，由于同性恋越来越常遇到，恐同者袭击案就开始上升，而且警察基本都会逮捕受害者。如果看起来像同性恋或者行为举止不够男人，都有可能被拘留，然后强制检查肛门，就能被定罪!
点评：同性恋在阿拉伯地区的权利解放运动估计还有很长一段路要走~
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Results
Lexile®Measure: 1000L - 1100L
Mean Sentence Length: 13.74
Mean Log Word Frequency: 3.17
Word Count: 371
这篇文章的蓝思值是在1000-1100L， 是经济学人里最简单的文章~
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