Blog 3: Sexual Orientation or Gender Roles

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Across our journey across Morocco, we saw many flags representing nations and peoples, yet the distinct multicolored pride flag, which peeks its head out from coast to coast in the United States, was noticeably absent. This absence, paired with the additional gender constraints on women we saw throughout the country, led me to question how lesbian communities exist and survive within Moroccan society. Under Article 489 of the Moroccan Penal Code, homosexual acts are illegal and punishable with imprisonment. Additionally, there are no discrimination protection laws against homosexuals in Morocco, and there are no rights enshrining same-sex marriages or adoptions (Griffin, 2022; Rights in Exile, 2023). Due to the illegality of homosexuality and the lack of protections for lesbian communities, I was unable to find a sufficient number or percentage of the Moroccan population that identified as lesbian. Homosexuality in all forms is generally (but certainly not always) deemed unaligned with the values of Islam, and the majority of lesbians opt to remain “in the closet” entirely without publicly coming out (Pendry, 2017). The strictness of Moroccan society and laws regarding same-sex acts and couples means that most lesbian and queer communities arise from encrypted online platforms and social media networks rather than large or public get-togethers (Pendry, 2017; Griffin, 2022). 

Going into Morocco, I was aware that queer identities were not as protected as they are in the U.S., but researching the subject truly puts a new perspective on how I view queer acceptance back home and abroad. In the U.S., we are by no means perfect in our treatment of lesbian communities and other queer groups, but we possess a baseline of freedom and protection that is simply not codified within Moroccan law. I believe the best way to address this disparity in the future is to coordinate and support NGOs and internal activist groups within Morocco to spread awareness of and humanize lesbian communities, as well as all other queer identities. Though this is a small first step, it is bold in the face of such staunch legal resistance. In the near future, calls to decriminalize homosexuality may reach the ears of those in power and make an appeal to the humanity of the queer women within Morocco and their compatriots within the LGBTQIA+ community. 


References

Griffin, A. (2022). Analyzing alternative spaces: queer social networks and notions of belonging in Morocco. SIT Digital Collections. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3456 

Pendry, C. (2017). Queer and shear Moroccan societal norms impact on queer women. SIT Digital Collections. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2636

Rights in Exile. (2023). Morocco LGBTQI+ resources. https://rightsinexile.org/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-country-list/morocco-lgbtqi-resources/



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