Footage from a recent protest outside of a gay man’s house in Rabat, Morocco is a harrowing reminder of what it’s like to be LGBT in an unaccepting culture.
Dozens gathered to chant, carrying antigay signs and waving photos of the man and his assumed lover.
Related: One Gay Tourist’s Harrowing Account Of Being Yanked Off The Streets Of Morocco And Thrown In Prison
The protesters, all of whom are men, were met with stares from children on the street and onlookers in their homes.
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Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Morocco and can be punished with anything from 6 months to 3 years imprisonment, an attitude stemming from traditional Islamic morality.
Watch below:
Robb Forehand
So so awful. I feel for him.
aliengod
Seems that the safest option in countries like this would be to stay in the closet if you’re gay. I know that’s unfair, but if being “out and proud” means potentially being beaten to death or thrown in prison, I’d choose the closet.
Michael Miller
A long road ahead still yet.
Paco
@aliengod: And nothing ever changes in the closet. The fight for equality always comes at some cost for those brave enough to confront oppression.
Stache99
Damn. What a bunch of primitive savages.
This is what happens when you have a misogynist culture. They treat their women like shit. Gay men are just natural targets of that hatred of women.
Giancarlo85
@aliengod: I would choose being brave over being a coward like you.
DarkZephyr
Disgusting evil bastards.
Ruhlmann
@Giancarlo85: Being brave on a keyboard is meaningless. This is an angry mob of Islamic men specifically targeting someone. I’d bet the farm you’d be shitting your panties and looking for an escape.
Merv
Another reminder that the enemy is religion, specifically the religions of the Middle East that have invaded Europe, North Africa, and much of the rest of the world. The internet will prove the death of them, because their system of physical intimidation isn’t very effective against the internet.
John Kuehnle
Morocco, i’ve read that being LGBT is really bad overseas. It’s not always great in this country.
crowebobby
That looked closer to a baker’s dozen to me than “dozens.” Not that it makes it any less hateful or frightening to the gay owners of that that house. Strange thing is Europeans (myself included though I was an American living in Europe) have been going to Morocco for centuries because the young men (and young boys) were so readily available. On the beach they would walk up to you and immediately shake your hand to give the impression they already knew you and weren’t just offering themselves. When the US fleet came in, young (and I mean very young) boys would run after sailors obviously offering themselves to the extent of taking out their dicks right on the street . . . to the sailors’ chagrin. (I saw this with my own eyes.) It was like Rome before AIDS, all that was required was a bit of discretion and hypocrisy and you could get laid by a different “straight” guy every day of the week. Being less visible to the general public was not all bad even if our current visibility has brought many advantages.
alterego1980
@Giancarlo85: That is extremely unfair of you. how could you call someone else a coward unless you have faced a mob of people outside your door with threats of murder?! Opening his door and facing those people will accomplish nothing except an early grave. I know I would choose life over foolish false bravery!
ouragannyc
Unemployment must be high in Morocco. I’m guessing that employed young men would not have the time to waste on issues like that.
Daniel-Reader
Since the people in the crowd won’t be in a crowd forever, they will be on their own, you’d think they would realize they shouldn’t be violating the human rights of a group they cannot detect. They attack the LGBTA community because the LGBTA community is one of the last to actually uphold human rights. If the LGBTA community did not, the members of this crowd would be punished one by one and couldn’t stop it. These bashing groups rely on the LGBTA community upholding human rights.
Giancarlo85
@Ruhlmann: I bet you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about or my background.
These one time trolls on here don’t ever defend the garbage they say as they know it’s without merit. In Egypt, gay people stood out in the open often at the threat of arrest or worse.
@alterego1980: Life over foolish false bravery? Who are you to talk? Change didn’t come without bravery. Tell that to Gandhi, Mandela and countless others.
Stache99
@crowebobby: “Being less visible to the general public was not all bad”
I’ll take the more visible and excepted to doing it with little boys in dark corners.
Avery Alvarez
How vile and disgusting.
Part of homophobia is selfishness and narcissism that you represent that norm, and you are judge, jury, and executioner of all those who don’t fall into the norm.
As we’ve seen here in America, though, homophobes ARE NOT the norm. Usually they have more than one personality disorder, and haven’t seemed to develop any sense of insight into themselves, or Jeebus knows they’d be ashamed of what they’re doing.
enfilmigult
The woman at 1:25 is a beacon of hope, though.
jwtraveler
Religion is the source of hatred and injustice in the world.
goluboi
Wow, ignorant Arab homophobic protesters are just as uneducated and grammatically incorrect in their own language as ignorant American homophobic protesters (top photo, sign on left, first word, second line)