Photos by Yassine Bellamine

TUNIS, Tunisia When Khawla Ben Acha was first elected to the Tunisian parliament as the youngest member of the assembly, she vowed to challenge the countrys archaic LGBTQ laws.

In the five years since she has lobbied tirelessly against a penal code that still criminalizes homosexuality and subjects people to humiliating anal tests.

At 31, Ben Acha is part of a new generation of politicians trying to create a progressive Tunisia after the toppling of longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

The conversation has been edited for clarity.

What would legal reform mean for the LGBTQ community?

In Tunisia, people labeled as gay have two choices: To accept the anal test, which is a barbaric practice that violates their rights and dignity, or to refuse it.

If they refuse it, theyre considered gay and are sentenced under the sodomy law without any proof. [An amendment to the penal code] would help reduce the number of people imprisoned because of their sexual orientation.

Its our duty to protect these people by letting them live their private lives as they wish.