PINK NEWS: A gay Qatari man who helped shine a light on the persecution of LGBTQ+ people in the Gulf nation is determined that the World Cup won’t succeed in “sports washing”.
Dr Nas Mohamed made headlines in May when he became the first known Qatari to come out on a public platform.
Homosexuality is illegal in the Gulf state. Same-sex relationships are criminalised and carry a punishment of several years in jail or fines. In some cases, under Qatar’s Sharia law, queer people can face death for living as their authentic self.
Since then, Mohamed (who currently lives in San Francisco, California) has used his platform to speak out against the criminalisation of queer people in Qatar and calls on celebrities to champion LGBTQ+ rights ahead of the World Cup, which begins on 20 November.
He’s also worked with Human Rights Watch (HRW), helping them to compile a damning report on how Qatar has arrested, abused and harassed LGBTQ+ people as recently as September 2022. HRW documented beatings and sexual assault by police, and heard from trans women who said they were ordered to attend conversion therapy by officials. » | Maggie Baska | Saturday, November 5, 2022
