A novel openly featuring homosexuality has sparked controversy in the educational system in Rabat, reigniting the debate on addressing LGBT orientation in Moroccan schools.
The book intended for children and adolescents, “Au nom de Catherine,”–penned by French author Julia Billet and included in the Belgian school’s curriculum–draws from homosexual literature and the experiences of sexual and gender minorities.
Following the alert, the regional academy of the Ministry of National Education sent a team of sworn educational inspectors specializing in the French language on January 30 to engage with the authorities of the private educational institution.
The school officials rejected the commission, stating that the director was on a two-day mission in Casablanca, and emphasized that the Belgian school follows the curriculum of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, thereby adhering to the rules and standards of the French-speaking Belgian education system.
Last year, a children’s book addressing the theme of same-sex marriage was removed from the shelves of a shopping center in Rabat.
The book, Mes Petites Questions à Toutes les Familles, featured a page stating that two women or two men “…can love each other, marry, and raise a child,” and that they constitute a “homoparental family.”