Qatar World Cup’s approach to LGBTQ+ rights

13 Dec Qatar World Cup’s approach to LGBTQ+ rights

Posted at 17:01h in Blog by Aby Hawker

A good friend WhatsApped me recently, his message was simple:

You should be all over this.

He was referring to my role as a specialist in trans and non-binary communications and the sh*t show that is the Qatar World Cup’s approach to LGBTQ+ rights.

I’ll be honest, with a kid home sick from school, a lunch and learn on allyship (which was super empowering – thanks to the 280+ people from Macmillan Cancer Support who took the time out to join Polly Shute and I!), a diary full of meetings and a couple of deadlines in the mix, my day was a lot.

As I sat on the metaphorical sidelines and watched in disbelief as the latest example unfolded of why we should not be holding the greatest football tournament in a country which has values that are so at odds with our own, I can’t imagine what the LGBTQ+ community must have been feeling.

Just one day after experiencing yet another tragic hate crime, which saw five lives lost and 17 injured in Colorado Springs, the only open acknowledgement of our solidarity with our LGBTQ+ siblings at the Qatar World Cup – the One Love armband – was removed, for fear of sanctions against our players.

Having decided to go ahead, in spite of all of the obvious controversies, this could have been the moment to take a stand by platforming those all too often sidelined values of love and inclusivity.

As Nelson Mandela once said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.”

This was an opportunity to harness that power for a community in mourning but instead just like (former?) gay icon David Beckham’s convenient refusal to acknowledge comedian Joe Lycett’s appeal to step up and own his role as an ally, there was no big gesture, no visible defiance, just more pandering.

We don’t get many opportunities in life to do the right thing while the whole world is watching.

To me, this was a missed opportunity to leave a lasting legacy by unequivocally stating our support for the LGBTQ+ community on this global stage.

I have no doubt that our failure to do so will leave its own legacy.

Photo credit Laureus