World Cup of Soccer poses scary prospect

LGBTQ2S+ athletes, fans have reason not to support international event in Qatar

While many people may feel that the focus should only be on soccer, we can’t ignore the fact this sport is being played by human beings.

Beginning this Sunday, Nov. 20, the quadrennial World Cup of Soccer will begin.

Outside of the Olympic Games, the World Cup is likely the most anticipated and followed sporting event on this planet and, for almost a month, much of the world's attention will be focussed on this event.

This year's event is being held in Qatar, marking the first time it's been held in a predominantly Muslim nation. In addition, for the first time in decades, Canada has qualified a team and many eyes here will be closely watching the progress of our athletes.

Whether we choose to only focus on the sporting event itself or use the publicity generated to draw attention to human rights concerns is a debate that will likely come to the forefront in the coming weeks.

'RESPECT OUR CULTURE'

For athletes and fans who are LGBTQ2S+, this is a real concern. While it was already known that Qatar was not accepting of this community and that homosexuality is illegal in the country, organizers had assured the world that all visitors are welcome and would be safe.

Then, in an interview with a German television station earlier this month with Qatar World Cup Ambassador Khalid Salman, a former member of the Qatari national soccer team, he described homosexuality as "damage in the mind." At that point, another official stepped in quickly to end the interview and organizers have since refused to comment.

Another chief executive, Nasser al Khater, has made it clear that Qatar will not change its laws or stance on homosexuality and visitors will be expected to "respect our culture."

These are conflicting messages and it appears clear that Qatari officials would like to sweep questions about this issue under a rug and just bask in the prestige and attention hosting this event brings to the country.

VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT

While visitors have the choice to attend or not, citizens of Qatar who identify as members of this community live with this reality all of the time and they live in a place where it is not safe to speak up.

Consider the implication of Salman's assertion that homosexuality is a damage of the mind. This attitude — that homosexuality is a mental illness — has been rejected by mental health professionals for decades, yet it persists in many countries across the Middle East and North Africa. Equating sexual orientation with mental illness creates conditions where debunked therapies, such as conversion therapy, are forced upon those arrested, on top of possible incarceration and other threats of violence or death.

Being a member of the LGBTQ2S+ community in Qatar does bring a sickness of the mind, but it is in no way connected to identity. Dealing with the stress of constant harassment, forced treatment, violence and incarceration is having a major impact on the mental health of this community and their suffering is not something that we should allow to be swept under a rug so we don't offend the hosts of an international sporting event. All of us have felt the impact of the COVID pandemic on our mental health over the past few years and we should have some sense of what this community is living with for their entire lives.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the weeks ahead and whether any of the athletes participating in the tournament choose to bravely protest in a personal manner. If a player opts to wear a rainbow flag insignia in solidarity with this community, will he face consequences?

While many people may feel that the focus should only be on soccer, we can't ignore the fact this sport is being played by human beings. We can't separate humans from human rights, especially in a place where there is not a safe venue for this community to speak up for themselves.

It may not change much in the short-term, but if we refuse to say anything, our silence implies acceptance and some things in life are more important than sports.