Tips for Gay and Lbian Travelers Moroc | Frommer's

Contents:

• WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE GAY … MOROC?
• GAY MOROC TRAVEL GUI
• 10 BT GAY-FRIENDLY HOTELS IN MOROC
• TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS MOROC
• MOROC: GAY MOROC
• GAY MARRAKH TRAVEL GUI
• GAY-IENDLY: MARRAKECH FOR HOMOSEXUALS

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE GAY … MOROC?

Moroc has been and remas a popular statn for LGBTQ+ travelers spe beg an Islamic untry where homosexualy is illegal and punishable by law.

Homosexualy is seen by most of the populatn as a threat to the “tradnal valu” that support the expectatn of heterosexual norms and Mlim teachgs. As a nservative Mlim untry where homosexualy is illegal, there aren’t any official “gay hot spots” or LGBTQ+ celebratns. That’s not to say that gay-iendly bars, rtrants, night clubs or beach do not exist.

GAY MOROC TRAVEL GUI

In urban centers like Tangier, Marrakech and Agadir, ’s possible to fd gay-iendly acmodatns and spots that wele a mix of gay and straight visors. Jamaa el Fna, Marrakech’s ma square, is the cy’s primary gay cisg spot after dk. For those who heard about the se of Ray Cole—a Brish tourist arrted last year Marrakech, Moroc, on spicn of mtg “homosexual acts” and sentenced to four months’ hard time a Morocn jail prr to his early release— is perhaps difficult to image that Moroc was somethg of a gay paradise for whe men of standg the aftermath of World War II.

10 BT GAY-FRIENDLY HOTELS IN MOROC

Somethg of the gay scene moved to Marrakech, but suffice to say, is far removed om Tangier’s heyday and very much nfed to the margs.

Gay life tak place the pths of certa hammams (Turkish baths) and the back rows of cemas, if people happen to know the right spots; needls to say, cisg plays an important role.

There are no gay bars, but a mix of gay and straight patrons n be found clubs that ter primarily to Wterners. Seen this light, the se of Ray Cole n be said to be another part of the story of the wherg away of gay life Moroc, or at the very least, the end of turng of a bld eye to . But what is more signifint about Cole’s se is that monstrat the te realy for gay men Moroc, namely, that while the laws on homosexualy are enforced nsistently, there is evintly a double standard employed their applitn.

TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS MOROC

The lerature available to potential gay travelers to Moroc—of which there is a great al sce, spe of laws and social norms there, Moroc remas a prime statn for package holiday-goers om Bra, France, and Germany—is very clear settg out what is and isn’t acceptable. Gay upl should rea om public displays of affectn and would be advised to seek out hotels and riads (a tradnal hoe wh an terr urtyard) known to be gay-iendly.

The arrt of Morocns for “homosexual acts” occurs every day and go unreported.

The scen of Cole’s fay greetg him at Bra’s Gatwick Airport ntrast starkly wh how gay men are treated Morocn society: looked down upon, rejected by their fai, dismissed wh the Maghrebi Arabic slur zamel. “More than [Cole’s] own se, what happened to him shows how vulnerable gay Morocns are, ”Abllah Taïa, a Morocn wrer and filmmaker who now liv exile, wrote The Guardian, “They are at the mercy of anyone.

MOROC: GAY MOROC

” To the qutn of what is like to be gay Moroc, then, the answer very much means one thg to a Wtern visor and que another to Morocn natnals, who are nsired by their society and their state to be of lser value. What’s It Like to Be Gay … Poland? What’s It Like to Be Gay … Romania?

Text 'GAYTRAVEL' to 1-800-GAY-TRAVEL (1-800-429-8728). — Travel Guis wh a Gay Perspective. Gay Moroc.

Technilly homosexualy is not legal the untry of Moroc although is not necsarily enforced. Gay travelers are advised to be discreet and should fd that the saft cy will be Marrakh.

GAY MARRAKH TRAVEL GUI

Although homosexualy is illegal Moroc—as is the se many Islamic untri— is generally a popular statn for members of the LGBTQ muny. Pacha Marrakech Bar, Nightclub, Gay Bar © David Boyle/Flickr Pacha Marrakech A lively bar and nightclub loted Gueliz, Pacha Marrakech proclaims self to be “the bt club Moroc” and is part of the well-known ternatnal club cha. While not a gay bar, has a iendly and relaxed vibe that mak all party-lovers feel right at home on the dance floor.

A gay-iendly club, people n enjoy techno one area or a lively Morocn baret show another. Plastik Club, Hotel Riad Salam, 55, Boulevard la Corniche A Diab, Casablan, Moroc Café Rams Rtrant, Morocn © Thibt Démare/Flickr Loted the btlg heart of Moroc’s largt cy, Café Rams don’t serve alhol, but is open until late the eveng and offers a relaxg, gay-iendly spot.

GAY-IENDLY: MARRAKECH FOR HOMOSEXUALS

In a sea of nned cktails, Gay Water wants to stand out.

In other words, where Bud Light has buckled unr prsure as bigotry grows agast the LGBTQ+ muny, Gay Water’s creator Spencer Hodson wants his new boozy brand to be the anthis of that. “The key issue that Bud Light tapped to was the fact that they didn’t unrstand their re dience and know enough about them,” Hodson, a gay man, told CNN about the ntroversy that began when the Anhser-Bch beer brand sent fluencer Dylan Mulvaney a n of beer.

Gay Water, however, is out and proud. The nned cktail is named after a lloquialism given to the popular mixed drk (vodka and soda) orred at bars by the gay muny. “Puttg a product wh the word gay the tle is reprentatn self,” which he hop reclaims the word om the negativy ’s sometim associated wh.