Trans Dynamics is the first organisation by and for trans people in Morocco. The group organises social events, tours the country to reach trans people in rural areas, and runs social media campaigns to increase trans visibility. They also lobby nationally and internationally for the rights of trans, intersex and gender-diverse people. Staff member Zeyne Oulmakki explains, “In Morocco, trans people are deprived of their human rights. Although there is no specific law against being trans, we are criminalised and still regularly end up in jail, based on laws that prohibit homosexuality and adultery. There are no options for transitioning, and no legal hormone treatments.” Another big challenge is the impossibility of obtaining an ID that aligns with one’s gender identity. “Any interaction requiring an ID is a nightmare! Sometimes it takes up to a day just to arrange a bank transaction. Getting a job or renting a house is often not possible without an ID that looks like you. This practical problem really affects our lives. It exacerbates the discrimination we already have to deal with. This is how we trans people are deprived of our citizenship, our well-being, our mental health: we are in a constant state of crisis.”
Caravan
Trans Dynamics creates safe and welcoming spaces for trans people to come together. “I remember how exhilarated I felt when trans visibility first emerged on social networks in Morocco around 2016,” says Salma Alaoui, founder of Trans Dynamics. “Being able to connect with other trans people in Rabat was amazing. The international trans community online is almost entirely English-speaking, so it has been quite inaccessible to someone like me who only speaks Arabic. At that time the gay and lesbian movement in Morocco was not very open to trans activism.” Salma, together with others, started Trans Dynamics with a caravan. “We started traveling all over Morocco to support trans people across the country, to show them they can start their own transition, and to share information. This also gave us valuable insight into the daily reality of many trans people.” When the COVID crisis broke out, Trans Dynamics continued its organising using a digital campaign. “We collected testimonials and published them on social media under the theme ‘this is what it means to be trans or gender diverse in Morocco’. The campaign gained widespread attention and gave the trans community a real boost”, adds Zeyne.
Safe haven
In 2021, with the help of crowdfunding, Trans Dynamics opened the doors of L’Majmaa (Arabic for “The Gathering”) in Rabat, the first and only trans-only community space in Morocco. “The importance of this cannot be underestimated. Sure, we do lobbying and are very proud of making ourselves heard on a national and international level. Soon, we’ll be publishing a report based on a survey of 100 transgender people in Morocco. We contributed to the UPR report on the human rights situation in Morocco. We’re proud of these visible achievements, but our work at the grassroots level is even more crucial. It breaks social isolation and provides people with a safe haven when they experience family violence or the pressure to conform. It creates a space where people can chat with each other in peace, try on gender-affirming clothing, try out binders, read leaflets on ‘gender dysphoria’ in Arabic, access information on safely self-adminstering hormones, talk to a psychologist, and more. It creates a space where we can celebrate together. For many trans people,it’s an incedible experience being in a space where others respect their chosen names, what they look like, and who they want to be, and, most of all, being in a place where they feel gender euphoria!”
Strategic partners
Trans Dynamics also works tirelessly in coalition with other social movements in Morocco. “We strive to strengthen the connections with the feminist and gay movements, because together we are stronger in our fight against the misogynistic and homophobic provisions of the Penal Code, a nasty legacy of colonial rule. We work with the Civil Council on fighting all forms of discrimination, whether it’s against people with disabilities, the LGBTQI+ community, Indigenous people, migrants, or any other minority group,” says ZeyneWe work in coalition based on our convictions and also for strategic reasons. When we work with partners on issues that are less contested than trans rights, it opens up avenues for bringing trans rights into the conversation.”
Mama Cash has been supporting Trans Dynamics since the end of 2021. “This support allowed us to keep L’Majmaa open during the COVID crisis. That is so important. Mama Cash supported us to take good care of ourselves and urged us to think about how we can become more resilient. Mama Cash understands what it’s like to get a movement off the ground.”