How Morocco became a sanctuary for LGBTQ+ writers and artists in the post-war era
Morocco’s LGBTQ+ history reveals a fascinating paradox – a country that served as a haven for gay Western intellectuals while maintaining conservative Islamic traditions. From the 1920s through the 1960s, Morocco, particularly Tangier, attracted some of the 20th century’s most celebrated LGBTQ+ writers and artists who found creative freedom impossible in their home countries.
At the time, Joe Orton and William Burroughs found it easier to be openly gay in Morocco than in London or New York. It just goes to show how quickly things can change.
Yves Saint Laurent’s Moroccan love affair
Yves Saint Laurent’s relationship with Morocco began with love at first sight in 1966. Arriving in Marrakech with partner Pierre Bergé, the legendary designer immediately declared his passion for the city that would influence his work for four decades.
Dar el-Hanch became their first Moroccan home – “the Snake’s House” where YSL painted a large serpent on the dining room wall, symbolizing his embrace of Morocco’s exotic mystique. Later acquiring Villa Oasis and the famous Jardin Majorelle in 1980, Saint Laurent and Bergé would forever be associated with the city. YSL credited Morocco with teaching him about color, particularly the blues and earth tones that became signature elements of his collections.
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The designer’s impact endures through Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech, opened in 2017 and designed by Studio KO to resemble woven fabric. Housing 5,000 clothing items and 15,000 accessories, the museum attracts nearly 800,000 annual visitors to Rue Yves Saint Laurent – a street renamed in his honor.
Jardin Majorelle remains Morocco’s most visited cultural site, where YSL’s ashes were scattered in the garden he saved from destruction. The iconic cobalt blue villa surrounded by exotic plants creates an enduring testament to how Morocco shaped one of fashion’s greatest talents.
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Joe Orton’s testosterone-fuelled Moroccan adventures
Playwright Joe Orton found in Morocco the sexual liberation impossible in 1960s Britain. Making three extended visits (1965, 1966, 1967) with partner Kenneth Halliwell, Orton experienced Tangier’s remarkable tolerance for homosexuality during a period when Britain still criminalized same-sex relationships.
Orton’s Moroccan diaries, published posthumously, document explicit encounters that would have been illegal in England. More importantly, these experiences influenced his theatrical works, providing material for the provocative themes that made him famous. Morocco’s sexual permissiveness allowed Orton to explore power dynamics and liberation themes that appeared later in “Loot” and “What the Butler Saw.”
His 1967 Morocco diary entries were written just months before his murder by Halliwell, making these final documented experiences particularly poignant. Orton found in Morocco’s Petit Socco area of Tangier the freedom to be himself without fear of prosecution or social condemnation. His diaries are incredibly racy, should you be looking for spicy reading material for your next trip.
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Paul Bowles: The dean of Tangier’s expat community
Paul Bowles established himself as the unofficial leader of Tangier’s LGBTQ+ expatriate literary community after settling there in 1947. His unconventional marriage to lesbian writer Jane Bowles provided both partners cover while allowing them to pursue same-sex relationships within Morocco’s more tolerant environment.
Bowles’ apartment in Immeuble Itesa became a cultural salon where LGBTQ+ writers, artists, and intellectuals gathered throughout the 1950s and 1960s. His novel “The Sheltering Sky” (1949) inspired countless others to visit Morocco, while his translations of local storytellers like Mohammed Mrabet bridged Western and Moroccan cultures.
His significance extended beyond literature – Bowles served as cultural ambassador, introducing Western visitors to Morocco while protecting local traditions from exploitation. His relationships with Moroccan men, including Ahmed Yacoubi and Mohammed Mrabet, reflected the complex dynamics of expat life.
Tangier’s golden age: The international zone’s queer haven
Tangier’s status as an International Zone (1923-1956) administered by multiple European powers created a unique legal vacuum where alternative lifestyles flourished. Minimal law enforcement allowed gay men to live openly in ways impossible elsewhere.
Grand Café de Paris served as the primary meeting place for the expatriate literary community and continues operating today. Librairie des Colonnes, the bookstore founded in 1949 and later owned by Pierre Bergé, provided intellectual gathering space for the community.
Social life centered around the Petit Socco (Souq Dakhli), the medina’s central square where much of the 1950s gay social activity occurred. Café Central hosted regular gatherings, while various riads and villas in the Kasbah and New Mountain areas provided private spaces for the community.
This period attracted not only writers but also wealthy socialites like David Herbert, known as “the Queen of Tangier” by Ian Fleming. Herbert spent almost 50 years in Morocco, hosting lavish parties at Villa Mektoub and becoming a central figure in the expatriate community until his death in 1995.
Current reality versus historical openness
Morocco’s current legal restrictions on homosexuality (Article 489 criminalizes same-sex activities) stand in stark contrast to its golden age of LGBTQ+ tolerance. The law, rarely enforced against tourists, creates challenges for local LGBTQ+ citizens while the country continues attracting gay travelers drawn to its historical significance.
Marrakech has largely replaced Tangier as the center of gay expatriate activity. Organizations like Kif-Kif (registered in Spain) and underground groups emerged after the 2011 Arab Spring, working to support Morocco’s hidden LGBTQ+ community.
Modern travelers can experience this rich history through preserved locations, including Hotel El Muniria, Grand Café de Paris, and the American Legation Museum, which houses Beat Generation archives and exhibits.
The contrast between Morocco’s historical role as an LGBTQ+ sanctuary and its current restrictions creates a complex dynamic requiring cultural sensitivity. However, the country’s extraordinary literary and artistic legacy continues inspiring visitors seeking to understand this unique chapter in queer history, when Morocco provided the freedom that allowed some of the 20th century’s greatest LGBTQ+ talents to flourish.
