Gay sex morocco
How Morocco became a haven for same-sex attracted Westerners in the 1950s
Although some reflect the writers were rebelling against a soulless, suburban McCarthyite America, Hopkins says it was more straightforward. "They were after boys and drugs. That's what drew them. The Moroccans were charming, attractive, intelligent and tolerant. They had to put up with a lot from us."
So why did Morocco, an ostensibly devout Islamic country, allow homosexuality to thrive? The author Barnaby Rogerson says it is a society that is full of paradoxes.
"It is... a place where all the four unlike cornerstones of culture: Berber-African, Mediterranean, Arabic or Islamic, contribute an absolute conviction in the abundant sexuality of all men and women, who are charged with a sort of personal volcano of 'fitna', which threatens family, population and state with sexually derived chaos at any time," he says. The word fitna, he suggests, "means something like 'charm, allure, enchantment, temptation, dissent, unrest, riot, rebellion' or all of these at the same time."
But despite a certain fear of this chaos of sexuality, there is also an understanding that it is just
Gay men abused in Morocco after photos spread online
Gay men are being harassed and abused in Morocco after photos taken from gay chat apps were circulated online.
Photos spread after a social media influencer told her followers to make fake accounts on apps to see how common homosexuality is.
Homosexuality is illegal in the conservative Muslim nation, which is in lockdown because of coronavirus.
The restrictions mean many men are unable to quit their homes where families maltreatment them, activists say.
One man, a student who returned from France during the lockdown, killed himself after being identified as male lover, Moroccan media report.
Three LGBT organisations who support gay men in Morocco have told BBC News that men are being harassed and are at risk in the country after the photos spread.
Samir el Mouti runs a Facebook group called The Moroccan LGBT Community, which gives counsel and support to LGBT people, many of whom conceal their sexuality.
The number of men reporting abuse and asking for support has increased since the online campaign began, says Mr Mouti, who left Morocco to learn for a PhD in the UK.
One man contacted the Faceboo
Guide for gay people visiting Morocco
I can only feel compassion and solidarity with Ray Cole and his partner (Report, 17 October). It must have been a horrific and frightening experience. But as an openly gay man who has travelled more than 20 times to Morocco in the last decade (often with my partner), it seems useful to construct some things unmistakable to other female homosexual and gay travellers. 1) Male homosexuality is, theoretically, illegal in Morocco. However, the law is not imposed frequently. 2) Homosexuality is an accepted part of Moroccan customs and has been for centuries. Most ordinary people are not hostile if you respect local customs (discretion, not pursuing underage boys etc). In addition, extreme Islamism is very rare in Morocco. 3) The whole state apparatus in Morocco has problems with corruption. This means that officials, including police, can act for personal motives – of power, funds or religion – without much regard for legal niceties. I have mostly found warm and open acceptance from ordinary Moroccan people as a same-sex attracted man. Indeed, sometimes I have been pleasantly surprised: such as when the Moroccan-owned riad where we stay upgraded us to the best suite of rooms for free,
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Last updated: 17 December 2024
Types of criminalisation
- Criminalises LGBT people
- Criminalises sexual activity between males
- Criminalises sexual activity between females
Summary
Same-sex sexual activity is prohibited under the Penal Code 1962, which criminalises ‘lewd or unnatural acts’. This provision carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment and a fine. Both men and women are criminalised under this law.
In 1956, Morocco officially gained independence from France, which had long since decriminalised same-sex sexual activity. The criminalising law is therefore of local origin, having been adopted in the 1962 Penal Code.
There is substantial evidence of the law being enforced in recent years, with LGBT people being frequently subject to arrest. Reports offer that hundreds of prosecutions under the law contain taken place in recent years. There have been consistent reports of discrimination and violence being pledged against LGBT people, including assault, harassment, and societal marginalisation.
Law an