BBC: The UK government has been urged to change its Qatar travel advice to warn LGBT+ football fans about the risks of going to the World Cup.
Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, where same-sex relationships can be punishable by the death sentence.
Andrew Boff, deputy chair of the London Assembly and a leading Conservative gay rights campaigner, said Qatar is not safe for LGBT+ people.
Qatar says all fans will be welcomed to the World Cup "without discrimination".
Currently, the UK government's World Cup travel advice contains no specific safety warning beyond stating the legal status of homosexuality in Qatar and the assurances given by its authorities.
"Obviously, when you go to a country, you respect their traditions," said Mr Boff, who is a patron of the LGBT+ Conservatives campaign group.
But the mere fact that being gay, or lesbian, or trans is illegal in Qatar and will open you up for prosecution means it is not a safe place for LGBT+ people to travel to and the government advice should clearly say that."
He said some in Qatar clearly have a "medieval attitude to human rights" given comments made by a Qatar World Cup ambassador, who called homosexuality "damage in the mind". » | Joshua Nevett, BBC Politics | Friday, November 11, 2022
Personally, I have absolutely no interest in football; so, I certainly shan’t be attending the World Cup in Qatar. However, for those that are interested in football, I can understand the attraction. I would suggest, though, that they think very long and very hard before deciding to go to Qatar.
Attitudes to homosexuality in the Gulf are indeed mediæval. (About which, perhaps more at a later date.) Architecture is extremely modern; the mindset does not match the modernity of the architecture or its hi-tech appearance! Anyone who is gay travelling to Qatar will risk not only getting into trouble with the authorities for the slightest transgression, but will also risk being abused, and possibly beaten up, by Qataris. Exercise extreme caution!
I would say that it is not worth taking the risk. But this, of course, is a decision that each person must make for himself. – © Mark Alexander
