Gay Algerians seek ‘rainbow marriages’ to elude rigid society

As it does every year, Algeria’s LGBTQ community celebrated TenTen, it's national day of solidarity, on October 10.

Every year, hundreds or even thousands of gay people across Algeria get married in such “rainbow weddings”, because of social and familial pressure. In a country where homosexuality is a crime – punishable by two months to two years in prison, along with a heavy fine – marrying a person of another gender has become the alternative to coming out, when the latter leads to ostracisation from society.

This year’s TenTen – the Algerian LGBTQ community’s 11th annual day of solidarity, are organised by their advocacy group Alouen.

In Algeria you have rainbow marriages – Lesbian woman marrying a gay man to elude rigid society.

Photo by Benson Kua [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons