Гей Касабланка

Read this first: this is a Safety Mode guide. Sex between people of the same sex is a crime in Morocco under Article 489 of the Penal Code, and the law is used: hundreds of people are prosecuted every year, police have raided private homes, and phones have been searched for photos to use as evidence. There are no gay bars, clubs, saunas or Pride in Casablanca, and we deliberately name no venues, hotels, hammams, beaches or meeting places: any list of "gay-friendly" places can expose the people who go there and the staff who work there. This guide is about visiting Casablanca as any traveller does, and keeping yourself, and anyone you meet, out of trouble.

Casablanca smells of the Atlantic. On the rocks at the western edge of the old medina, spray drifts across the marble esplanade of the Hassan II Mosque while its minaret catches the late sun; inland, the tram hums down past white Art Deco façades with wrought-iron balconies and faded shop signs in French and Arabic. In a café on a busy corner, a waiter pours mint tea from a height into small glasses, and from a street grill comes the smoke of sardines. It's Morocco's biggest city and its business capital, busy, modern and easy to like, and most visitors pass through without incident. But it has no LGBTQ+ scene a visitor can safely find, the law is against you, and the person who usually pays the higher price is the Moroccan you meet. Here's what you need to know.

Legal in one line: Article 489 of the Penal Code punishes "lewd or unnatural acts with an individual of the same sex" with six months to three years in prison and a fine of up to 1,000 dirhams; Article 483 (public indecency) and Article 490 (sex outside marriage, for Moroccan nationals) are also used; there's no recognition of couples, no protection from discrimination, no legal gender recognition, and LGBTQ+ associations cannot register legally.

Emergency contacts – save these before you travel

• Local emergency numbers: police 19 (or 112); ambulance and fire 15; medical emergencies 141; Royal Gendarmerie (outside city limits) 177.
• United States: the US Consulate General is in Casablanca itself. Main line +212 5226 42000; emergencies for US citizens +212 537 63 72 00 (travel.state.gov).
• United Kingdom: the British Embassy in Rabat lists +212 537 63 33 33, answered 24/7 through the Foreign Office's consular contact centre (gov.uk); there is also a British Consulate General in Casablanca. From anywhere, the Foreign Office in London answers 24 hours a day on +44 20 7008 5000.
• France: the Consulate General in Casablanca has an out-of-hours line for real emergencies only, +212 6 61 17 83 58; switchboard in office hours +212 5 20 48 00 58 locally, or +33 2 14 16 21 80 from abroad (ma.diplomatie.gouv.fr).
• Canada: the Embassy of Canada is in Rabat, +212 537 54 49 49, with no office in Casablanca. At any hour, Global Affairs Canada's Emergency Watch and Response Centre answers on +1 613 996 8885 (collect calls where available), SOS@international.gc.ca, or WhatsApp +1 613 909 8881 (travel.gc.ca).
• Other nationalities: many countries have a consulate in Casablanca as well as an embassy in Rabat. Look up yours on your foreign ministry's own website before you fly and save the emergency number on your phone and on paper.
• If you're detained: ask straight away for your embassy or consulate to be informed, and for a lawyer and an interpreter. Don't sign any statement in Arabic or French you don't fully understand, don't volunteer anything about your private life, and don't unlock your phone voluntarily.

Two rules before you fly

• Clean your phone. Police in Morocco seize smartphones to look for photos as evidence of homosexuality, and men have been convicted on the strength of pictures found on their phones, according to a Moroccan rights group quoted by the Belgian asylum office (CGRA); in the 2014 case of a British tourist, images from phones were used too. Before you board, delete gay dating apps, take intimate photos, videos and chats off the device and out of any synced cloud album, and set a strong passcode.
• Never bring a Moroccan back to your hotel room. Your guest is the one at risk: Article 489 for two men, and Article 490, which punishes sex outside marriage with one month to one year in prison, for any unmarried Moroccan. Some hotels ask Moroccan couples for a marriage certificate; Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi told parliament in May 2024 that no law allows them to demand one, but in June 2024 Hespress reported that practice still varied from hotel to hotel (TelQuel, Hespress). Either way, hotels must declare their guests' details to the authorities every day.

What the law says

• Article 489, Penal Code. Morocco's Penal Code, in force since the early 1960s, punishes "lewd or unnatural acts with an individual of the same sex" with six months to three years in prison and a fine, according to the Human Dignity Trust and a Belgian government country report of April 2025 (the CGRA's COI Focus). Sources give slightly different minimum fines, but agree on a maximum of 1,000 dirhams. The law applies to women as well as men.
• Article 483, public indecency (outrage public à la pudeur). This is charged alongside Article 489, as in a 2014 case against a British tourist described below, and covers acts seen in public. The UK Foreign Office is blunt: "Showing affection in public can lead to prosecution."
• Article 490, sex outside marriage. Sex between unmarried people is a crime for Moroccan nationals. The UK says the rule about sharing hotel rooms "generally does not apply" to visiting foreigners, especially in tourist areas, but your Moroccan friend has no such protection. Rights workers quoted in the Belgian report say this law also lets police enter homes.
• Other charges. The Belgian report notes that gay men are often arrested under other offences, from vice and solicitation to indecent assault, and that police are regularly accused of violence during arrest and detention, especially towards men whose appearance departs from gender norms.
• No protection, no associations. The anti-discrimination provisions of the Penal Code don't cover sexual orientation, and the 1958 law on associations bars groups whose purpose is "contrary to good morals", so LGBTQ+ associations are treated as illegal, according to the Belgian report.

How the law is used

Article 489 isn't a dead letter. Official figures, which researchers say undercount the real number, show prosecutions rising.

Year	People prosecuted for same-sex relations	Source
2017	197	Public Prosecutor's Office, via the Human Dignity Trust
2018	170 charged	Public Prosecutor's Office, via the Human Dignity Trust
2019	122	Prosecutor General, via the US State Department
2022 (January to October)	283	US State Department
2023 (first half)	441	Moroccan government, via the US State Department

Some of the cases behind those numbers, from the Human Dignity Trust, the Belgian report and the Arab Reform Initiative:

• April 2023, near Casablanca: police raided a villa during what was reported as an LGBTQ+ gathering and arrested 80 people.
• July 2023, Casablanca: a trans activist raised a rainbow flag at a women's-rights sit-in and then faced threats and attacks online and offline after mainstream media spread the video (Arab Reform Initiative).
• 2023, elsewhere: two young men were sentenced to three years in Al Hoceima; men arrested in the street in Kénitra and Nador were given six and seven months after police found photos on their phones; in Ouarzazate, a boy who had been abused by a mosque official was himself sentenced to six months "for being gay", while his abuser got eight years.
• 2024: two people were arrested in February, and in March the Royal Gendarmerie arrested a group of young men after raiding a house.
• February 2026, Rabat: a gay couple was reportedly attacked by a group of men while holding hands in the street.

Foreigners are not immune. In 2014 a British tourist in his late sixties was arrested with his Moroccan companion, whom he had met online; police used images from their phones, and he served four months before returning home, while his companion stayed in prison (Wikipedia, citing France Info). In 2015 two French activists were arrested and deported after kissing in public in Rabat, at the same spot where two Moroccan men were later sentenced for posing for a photo together. In September 2023 a foreigner was among four people arrested in Marrakech for homosexuality and drugs. The pattern is consistent: foreigners are more likely to be deported or released, and the Moroccan involved is more likely to go to prison.

The 2020 outing campaign

In mid-April 2020, during the Covid lockdown, Naoufal Moussa, a Moroccan trans influencer living in Turkey who posts as Sofia Taloni and had around 600,000 Instagram followers, told followers in a livestream to download gay dating apps and create fake profiles to find the men around them. Users' photos and identities were then shared on WhatsApp and social media (NBC News).

• What followed: the feminist LBTQ collective Nassawiyat recorded more than 100 people outed, with at least one reported suicide; men were thrown out of their family homes in the middle of lockdown, and some received death threats. A 23-year-old student told NBC he had been sleeping in the street for three days after his brother threw him out.
• The response: Moroccan authorities announced a preliminary inquiry for incitement to hatred and discrimination; the Arab Reform Initiative knows of no follow-up. PlanetRomeo blocked new Moroccan profiles created after 12 April, and Instagram suspended the influencer's account. She apologised in May 2020 (Yabiladi).
• The lesson: the people on the other side of a gay app in Morocco aren't always who they say they are, and a screenshot can travel further than you'll ever know.

Is the law about to change?

Not soon. A draft penal code prepared from 2015 kept Article 489, with six months to three years in prison and much higher fines, according to Femmes du Maroc; that draft was withdrawn in 2021. Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi has spoken in favour of keeping the state out of private life, but in July 2023 he opposed legalising homosexuality, according to the Belgian report. In February 2026, Médias24 reported that the new penal code, described as "finalised" in 2024, had still not been tabled in parliament, and in April 2026 media reported it was unlikely to be tabled in the current legislative session, according to the Human Dignity Trust. We found no sign in October 2026 that Article 489 will go. Treat it as current law.

Why we don't list venues

Over the years, directories and travel blogs have labelled particular Casablanca bars, clubs, hotels and cafés as "gay-friendly" or as the place the community meets. Those are mainstream businesses that don't present themselves that way, the labels are unverified, and the 2023 villa raid shows what can follow when police believe a place hosts LGBTQ+ people. Don't go anywhere in Casablanca expecting a gay crowd, and don't rely on older listings. A bar is a bar; two friends having a drink together is unremarkable, so keep it at that. A hammam is for bathing: you go to steam and be scrubbed, nothing more. We never list cruising places in countries where being gay is a crime, and in Casablanca there is no safe version of it.

Apps, phones and blackmail

• Dating apps aren't blocked, and that's not reassurance. The Belgian report lists Grindr among the apps widely used in Morocco, and activists told it they fear fake dates and denunciation. The 2020 campaign showed how easily fake profiles can expose users. Our advice: don't use gay dating apps in Morocco, and delete them from your phone before you fly, not just log out.
• Extortion: the UK Foreign Office warns that "incidents of marriage fraud and attempted extortion have affected British nationals". Be wary of charming strangers on Instagram, WhatsApp or Facebook, of anyone who quickly moves the conversation to photos or a private meeting, and of anyone who offers to "show you the gay side" of the city. If someone threatens to expose you, stop replying, keep screenshots, and contact your embassy before paying anyone or going to the police: reporting a blackmailer can mean admitting to an offence.
• Your phone is evidence. According to the rights group Liqaat, quoted in the Belgian report, police often seize smartphones to look for compromising photos, and courts in Kénitra and Nador convicted men in 2023 on that basis. Before you travel, delete dating apps, move intimate photos, videos and chats off the device and out of any synced cloud album, turn off lock-screen previews, and set a strong passcode. If police take your phone, don't unlock it voluntarily; ask for your consulate.
• What you post: don't post anything LGBTQ+-related, or political, while you're in Morocco, don't tag locations or people, and don't bring Pride flags, badges or rainbow merchandise.
• Protect the people you meet. Don't photograph or post anyone without asking, and never bring someone you've just met back to your room. A Moroccan man can face Article 489 or 490 for what a visitor may treat as a holiday fling.

Travel advice in 2026

• UK (page updated 19 October 2026): "Same-sex sexual relations are illegal in Morocco," and showing affection in public "can lead to prosecution". It also warns that terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Morocco, that Morocco has "a zero-tolerance approach towards drugs", including cannabis, and that photographing sensitive political or military sites is illegal (gov.uk).
• US (reissued 21 April 2025): Level 2, "Exercise increased caution", because of terrorism; it names tourist sites, transport hubs, markets and shopping malls as possible targets (travel.state.gov).
• Before you fly: check your own government's advice again that week, and register for its travel alerts.

What a visitor can safely enjoy

Start at the Hassan II Mosque, built partly over the ocean on the city's western shore and one of the few mosques in Morocco that non-Muslims can enter, on guided tours; dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered, and check tour times before you go. From there, follow the seafront west to the Corniche at Ain Diab, a long promenade of cafés and sea views that fills with families and joggers at sunset.

Back in the centre, look up. The streets around Boulevard Mohammed V and the old central market hold a remarkable collection of early 20th-century architecture, a blend of Art Deco and Moroccan motifs in white stucco and carved plaster; the heritage association Casamémoire works to protect it and runs walks and open days. The Habous quarter, a planned "new medina" from the French protectorate era, is calmer than the old medina for browsing pastries, olives and leather. For a day trip, the Al Boraq high-speed train runs from Casa-Voyageurs station to Rabat and Tangier; check times and fares with the national railway, ONCF.

Eat what the city eats: grilled sardines and fried fish near the port, harira soup with dates, flaky msemen pancakes with honey for breakfast, and slow-cooked tagine or Friday couscous. Mint tea is sweet, poured from a height, and offered constantly; accepting a glass is part of every conversation.

Practical tips

• Getting around: the tram is the easiest way across the centre and out to Ain Diab. Casablanca's red petits taxis are everywhere; insist on the meter. At night, take a taxi door to door rather than walking.
• Affection: men greeting each other with kisses on the cheek is ordinary friendship in Morocco. Romantic affection in public, for any couple, is something else: the UK says to avoid it, particularly near religious sites.
• Hotels: large international hotels are the most predictable choice. Two men travelling together can simply state their bed preference when booking; you don't need to explain. Don't bring a Moroccan visitor to your room: it can cause problems for them at reception and with the police (see the two rules near the top).
• Fake guides and scams: the UK notes that people posing as official guides often harass tourists, and that card fraud is common. Be polite, firm and brief.
• Health: carry prescription medicines, including PrEP, in their original packaging with a copy of the prescription, and talk to a travel clinic about PEP before you go. Drug laws are strict.
• Money: the currency is the Moroccan dirham (MAD). Cards work in hotels, malls and many restaurants; carry cash for taxis, markets and small cafés.
• Ramadan (dates shift each year): expect quieter days and busy evenings, and avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public in daylight.

Pride

There's no Pride and no public LGBTQ+ event in Morocco, in 2026 or announced for 2027. Activism happens online and in private, through collectives such as Nassawiyat and Akaliyat, and the July 2023 flag incident in Casablanca showed the backlash that a single public rainbow can bring.

If something goes wrong

• Before you go: save your embassy's emergency number, sign up for your government's travel alerts, and share your itinerary with someone at home.
• If you're stopped or detained: stay calm and polite, show your passport, and follow the emergency box: ask for your embassy or consulate at once, ask for a lawyer and an interpreter, and don't volunteer anything about your private life.
• If someone threatens to expose you: don't meet them again, keep the evidence, and contact your embassy before going to the police or paying anyone.
• If you're at risk as a resident: international groups such as Rainbow Railroad help LGBTQ+ people facing danger. Contact them from a safe device.

Want an open LGBTQ+ scene? Go here instead

If you want a trip where you can be yourself, Lisbon is a short flight north, and same-sex marriage has been legal in Portugal since 2010; Cape Town has a large, open scene, and South Africa has recognised same-sex marriage since 2006. Check each country's laws and your government's advice before booking.

A few words of Darija and French

Moroccans speak Darija, the Moroccan dialect of Arabic, and many also speak Amazigh languages; French is everywhere in business, signs and menus, and English is common in hotels.

• Salam alaykum – hello (the reply is wa alaykum salam)
• Shukran – thank you; bslama – goodbye
• Wakha – OK
• Bshhal? – how much?
• La, shukran – no, thank you: the phrase you'll need most with touts
• Khouya – my brother. Men use it with friends, waiters and taxi drivers all day long; it's ordinary warmth, not flirting.
• Je voudrais contacter mon ambassade – I'd like to contact my embassy; je veux un avocat – I want a lawyer

At a glance

Frequently asked questions

Is it illegal to be gay in Morocco?

Yes. Article 489 of the Penal Code punishes sexual acts between people of the same sex with six months to three years in prison and a fine. It is enforced: the US government reported 441 prosecutions in the first half of 2023 alone.

Are there gay bars or clubs in Casablanca?

No venue operates openly as a gay bar, club or sauna, and there is no Pride. We deliberately name no bars, hotels, hammams or meeting places, because labelling them can expose the people who go there.

Is it safe to use Grindr or other dating apps in Casablanca?

We advise against it. In 2020 people made fake profiles on gay apps to out men across Morocco, and police have used photos found on phones as evidence in court.

Can foreign tourists get into trouble?

Yes. A British tourist served four months in prison in 2014, and two French activists were deported in 2015 after kissing in public in Rabat. Most visitors have no trouble, but public affection, apps and anything recorded on a phone are where the risk lies.

What should I do if I'm arrested in Morocco?

Stay calm, ask for your embassy or consulate at once, and ask for a lawyer and an interpreter. Sign nothing in Arabic or French that you do not fully understand, and do not unlock your phone voluntarily.

Part of the GayOut city guides. See the Morocco country page for the national overview. This guide is general information, not legal advice; laws and their enforcement can change quickly.