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Jun 1, 2015-2015

Morocco

In Gay We Trust in Morocco Naked Protest against Anti-LGBTQ+

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ACTIVISTS/ACT.GROUPS/DESCRIPTION OF THE GROUP

FEMEN

TARGET

Moroccan Government

WIDELY HELD BELIEF

LGBTQ+ rights should be protected.

CASE NARRATIVE

Issue and Opponent: In Morocco, homosexuality is condemned by Article 489 of the penal code which criminalizes “licentious acts against nature with an individual of the same sex.” Being lesbian or gay in Morocco means risking 6 months to 3 years of imprisonment. The conviction on May 22, 2015, of three homosexuals to 3 years in jail, was an example of a long series of cases where Morocco imprisons people for their homosexuality. Dilemma Action: In June 2015, two female FEMEN activists, posing topless with the slogan “‘IN GAY WE TRUST'” on their chests, kissed publicly in front of Hassan Tower in Rabat, where the tomb of King Mohammed V is located, protesting the anti-LGBTQ+ policies of the Moroccan government. Images shared on social media showed them embracing each other with their tops off in front of the Hassan Tower, a landmark minaret in the Moroccan capital. Outcome: Although security was not present at the time of the protest, the women, aged 25 and 30, were arrested by Moroccan authorities as they tried to return to France. The women were convicted on obscenity charges and sentenced to four months in prison, but their sentences were suspended on appeal. Both women were expelled and banned from the country because of provocative acts.

PRIMARY STRUGGLE/GOAL

Accountability / Corruption
Civil Rights and Equality

DA TACTICS USED

Protest disrobings

CASE NARRATIVE WRITER

SUCCESS METRICS

6 / 12

(EREP) Dilemma action got replicated by other movements

(MSYMP) Media coverage was sympathetic to the activists

(OR) Opponent response

(PS) Dilemma action built sympathy with the public

(REFR) Dilemma action reframed the narrative of the opponent

(SA) Dilemma action appealed to a broad segment of the public

PART OF A LARGER CAMPAIGN

0 / 3

RESOURCES

Project documentation

Dilemma Actions Coding Guidebook

Case study documentation

Dilemma_Actions_Analysis_Dataset

CC BY 4.0 Deed, Attribution 4.0 International

SOURCES

Femen. 2015. “In Gay We Trust in Morocco,” Retrieved July 23, 2023. (https://femen.org/in-gay-we-trust-in-morocco/).


Al Arabiya. 2015. “Two topless Femen protesters arrested in Morocco,” Retrieved July 23, 2023. (https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2015/06/02/Two-topless-femen-protesters-arrested-in-Morocco-).

Garner, Glenn. 2015. “Topless Pro-Gay Protesters Arrested in Morocco,” Out. Retrieved July 23, 2023. (https://www.out.com/news-opinion/2015/6/02/topless-pro-gay-protesters-arrested-morocco).

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