LGBT Rights in Morocco

Homosexuality: ⚢
✖ Illegal (imprisonment as punishment)
Gay Marriage: ⚭
✖ Unrecognized
Censorship: ✖ State-enforced
Changing Gender: ✖ Illegal
Gender-Affirming Care: ✔ Legal
Non-Binary Gender Recognition: ✖ Not legally recognized
Discrimination: ✖ No protections
Employment Discrimination: ✖ No protections
Housing Discrimination: ✖ No protections
Adoption: ✖ Illegal
Intersex Infant Surgery: ✖ Not banned
Military: ✖ Illegal
Donating Blood: ✖ Banned (indefinite deferral)
Conversion Therapy: ✖ Not banned
Age of Consent: N/A

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Public Opinion

Suggest Public Opinion Data

According to recent survey data, there appears to be strong opposition to LGBTQ+ rights in Morocco.

OPPOSE

SUPPORT

Show 6 More

Survey

(World Values Survey (Wave 7), 2021)

Of Moroccans would not like to have homosexuals as neighbors

Perception of LGBTQ+ People

Rate This Region

Survey results from 5 LGBTQ+ Equaldex users who lived in or visited Morocco.

Overall
Overall

Perceived Safety*
Feel safe being open
Absence of verbal harassment
Absence of threats and violence
*Survey results represent personal perceptions of safety and may not be indicative of current actual conditions.

Equal Treatment
Treatment by peers
Treatment by family
Treatment at work
Treatment at school
Treatment by general public
Treatment by businesses
Treatment by law enforcement
Treatment by religious groups

Visibility & Representation
Inclusion in education
Representation in entertainment
Representation in news
Political support
Out public figures

Culture
Pride/events
Dating life
Interest groups and clubs

Services
Health and wellness
Gender-affirming care
Support and social services
Advocacy and legal

History

Homosexual activity in Morocco

Homosexual activity in Morocco is illegal (imprisonment as punishment).

Current status

Since Nov 26, 1962

Illegal (imprisonment as punishment)

Article 489 of the Penal Code punishes same sex behaviour by imprisonment of between 6 months and 3 years, and a fine of 200 to 1000 dirhams.

Details

Until Jan 1, 1956

Ambiguous

Homosexuality was ambiguous in Morocco before 1956

Details

Same-sex marriage in Morocco

Same-sex marriage in Morocco is unrecognized.

Current status

Unrecognized

There is no legal recognition of same-sex couples, but same-sex marriage is not banned

Details

Censorship of LGBT issues in Morocco

Censorship of LGBT issues in Morocco is state-enforced.

Current status

Since 2005

State-enforced

Morocco has several censorship measures in place including LGBT media censorship. Article 3 of the Decree Regulating the Right of Association prohibits associations from engaging in activities that, inter alia, “breach the laws or public morals” or “offend Islam”.
Further amendments were made by Decree No. 2?04?969 (2005), which include prohibitive provisions, such as capacities at start-up.
LGBT organisations are refused to register by the authorities.

Details

Right to change legal gender in Morocco

Right to change legal gender in Morocco is illegal.

Current status

Illegal

There is no legal framework to change one's gender marker.

Details

Gender-affirming care in Morocco

Gender-affirming care in Morocco is legal.

Current status

Since 2000

Legal

In Morocco, medical gender transitions are framed by a circular issued by the Ministry of Health in 2016. This circular allows transgender people to access medical treatments such as hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery, under certain conditions and after obtaining the advice of several specialists. ICD-10 classification, containing codes for diagnosing transsexualism in adulthood and childhood, governs gender medical transitions in Morocco.

Details