About the Petition against Homophobia in Morocco

1 - Being part of the LGBT community in Morocco is like in any other country ruled by 'religion'-Islam- , traditions and obscurantism. Globally , people do not approve of it nor recognize it , but following the common and worldwide reality of societies , the levels of awareness and culture varies within each one and with it the openness , understanding and acceptance of the community . Our case , is quite distinguished , over the last few decades , a noticeable progress has been made , the cause is now more known , clearly explained and worldly related , the media and access to information without censure trough internet mainly has made an enormous impact , helping change the view from a community that used to be associated with charlatans , sorcery and even pedophilia(from male homosexuals especially) to people who's only so called difference is their sexual orientation . But these people , the conscious ones , are just like us , another minority on a large land .
2 - Marrakesh has indeed a historical past regarding homosexuality , one that dates back to centuries but which has always been referred to as "homoerotic" tendencies and was usually dismissed by marrying the person in cause and pushing them towards living a "normal life" . Meanwhile , a few years before independence , many writers from all over the world settled down in the red city , the most famous for their relationships were Jane and Paul Bowles , who were both married homosexuals and each took a lover here , Charifa (quite the traditional Moroccan woman ) and the well known artist Ahmed Yacoubi..
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The change we might be talking about cannot be considered concrete since Morocco being considered gay friendly in the past has always been the external opinion , and the change we are wishing for is inside the country , then beyond . Therefore , the work has only started, in 2010 came the first gay magazine in Morocco and the Arab world  , a few years before - 2004 - , the case of the arrests at Tetouan came out , an association defending LGBT rights (Kif kif ) intervened making it possible to liberate 42 incarcerated homosexuals . The association is based in Spain .
3 -  The reasons for this change are the ones I listed earlier , the influence and extension of media , internet and information . ( Not only positive ).
4 - Since the last elections (2011) , the Islamic political party for justice and development is leading   , making the discussions or even thinking about negotiations almost impossible . During the last campaign organised by Aswat Magazine (May 17 2014) , one of the deputies, condemned the mobilization and care people showed to the cause .
The penal code of 1962 and it's 489th article still exist ,specifying that any person who commits a lewd and unnatural act with an individual of the same sex may be sentenced to six months to three years of imprisonment and fined 200-1000 Moroccan dirhams!
December 10th 2007 , 6 people arrested in Ksar El Kabir .
May 6th 2013 , 2 people arrested in Temara .
May 2014 , 6 people arrested in Fkih Bensaleh .
And those are only a few cases , most of the arrests target men , mainly for "prostitution" and there is also -and sadly- the fact that female homosexuality is more accepted!
5 - The king in our beloved country has the status of king and commander of the Faithful , he cannot be liberal or defend any right that goes against the principles of Islam . And we all know what religions think of homosexuality . ( Main reason behind article 489 ) . His majesty is a businessman , let's not compare him to incompetent politicians . And some caring ones to his not caring highness .
As long as the country is a Muslim one with an Islamic government , there is no need to waste letters on writing words such as "Liberal" .
6 - The goals of the petition were to raise awareness towards the subject , prepare for the campaign , and try to annul the 489th article .
7 - Most of my friends and entourage signed the petition , mostly heterosexuals , the national press did not ignore it this time , and many intellectuals and activists supported it , some articles were written by foreign press as well . There was support mainly , but there is no getting away from the ignorance and moral speeches lacking morality and still condemning us ...
8 - Being a Moroccan who stands up for her rights , I do not see myself living in hiding or denial to please others , respect is supposed to be mutual , not from one part only . I expect people to understand and respect our nature , our land is a land of diversity , and that is shown through centuries and centuries of events ; We need to help explain things , clarify some ideas and work on a global change . Not only for LGBT rights , but for human rights , it is the leaving out a part each time that has caused this imbalance.
A fair educational system without censure , freedom of thinking , a true democracy and a secularist state are the baby steps we are and should be making .
One day , we will become adults and maybe be able to have those civil unions .

J'ai essayé de répondre aux questions chouia ...

2 - The picture didn't show : Jane and her lover Cherifa ...
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Vous pouvez lire l'intégralité de l'article paru dans l'édition Août-Septembre 2014 du magazine Suisse Gay.ch, en cliquant sur le lien suivant:

http://issuu.com/gay.ch/docs/transferon -->  "Transfer" Page 8/9 et 11.

P.S: C'est écrit en Allemand.

Cheers Avlee

That's pretty damn awesome! Props to both of you