Morocco

Demographics

Estimated Total Population:

36 million

World Bank, 2018

Estimated SGM Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated Total SGM Adult Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated % of SGM Adults (18+):

N/A

N/A

Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Morocco and results in imprisonment from 6 months to three years (Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada). Morocco publicizes the names of arrested members of the sexual and gender minority communities. The legal status of sexual minorities in Morocco explains the lack of statistics, and stems from traditional Islamic law which views homosexuality as immorality. Morocco has great censorship over the LGBTQ+ community, banning public and online collectives and gatherings, as well as banning books on homosexuality.

Morocco's Laws and Policies from ILGA World Report (2019)

RECOGNITION
Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
No
Civil Unions
No
Joint Adoption
No
Second Parent Adoption
No
PROTECTION
Employment Nondiscrimination Laws
No
Broad Protections
No
Criminalization of Violence
No
Ban of Conversion Therapy
No
CRIMINALIZATION
Consensual Same-Sex Acts are Legal?
No
Gender
Any Gender
Max Penalty (Yrs in Prison)
3

Selected Published Studies, Reports, and Other Documents

Figueredo, Michael Anthony, "An Examination of Factors that Catalyze LGBTQ Movements in Middle Eastern and North African Authoritarian Regimes" (2015).Dissertations and Theses. Paper 2478. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/2478

Hennekam, S. and Tahssain-Gay, L.(2015), "Changing attitudes towards diversity: The Netherlands and Morocco compared", Management Decision, Vol. 53 No. 9, pp. 2135-2155. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-04-2015-0119

Hirsch, Katherine, "A Critical Analysis of the Public Sphere: How the LGBTQ Movement Utilizes and Occupies Space in Morocco" (2016). Independent Study Project(ISP) Collection. 2380. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2380

Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada,Morocco: The treatment of homosexuals, including protection offered by the state and the attitude of the population, 5 March 2007, MAR102328.FE,: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/469cd6af0.html

Laetitia Grotti and Maria Daïf, “Gay in Morocco: A Mini-Dossier Compiled For the Moroccan Weekly Telquel”(2005). Moroccan Weekly Telquel. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03064220500249744

Massad, Joseph Andoni. “Re-Orienting Desire: The Gay International and the Arab World.” Public Culture, vol.14 no. 2, 2002, p.361-385. Project MUSE muse.jhu.edu/article/26284

Pori, Bella “Love is Not a Crime: Goals of the Gay Movement in Morocco”. Human Rights Independent Study: 9.