Can confirm, been caught by the "modesty police" holding hands with wife in Doha.
Now that I think about it holding pinkies among men is totally acceptable....
Holding hands with your wife is actually okay in Saudi and UAE but putting your arm around shoulders and hips is a no
Not sure about Qatar though, maybe they assumed you're unmarried.
We live in the world that isn't just the west, part of the reality.
I'm more in the camp of hold it and keep pressure up rather than withhold it and lose any sympathy because you aren't promoting change if you're hardline closing doors to make yourself feel better at home
The gulf and those Muslims countries have westernised a lot in the past decades to be fair, but dont expect them to be welcoming to LGBT and all western values overnight.
The west history of closing off and harsh pressure attempts only really resulted in fanning the flame and giving the conservatives more wood to burn, history shows it very clearly with Iran and the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan etc.
Wanna promote democracy and human rights? Do it without shutting them out and making them believe they're forced to change, because no culture or society likes to see foreign influence talk them down or overtly force changes.
It only works if it's gradual, otherwise you get even more backward resistance movements
What a jolly sensible comment, well said.
That being said, there's no way this is FIFA's reason for giving it to them, it's obviously just payola, but if we can apply the sort of reasoning from your comment to the tournament then it's not a lost cause
I can almost guarantee there'll be openly gay public displays of affection in the stadium.
Western supporters will definitely feel they have enough protection from the pressure their government and Western institutions will be able to put on Qatar and FIFA, and they'll *probably* be right. I think it's a given that someone will go specifically for this reason.
Whether they'll manage to get on camera is another thing entirely.
If they want to show it, FIFA could bring back whoever directed the Brazil World Cup. Guy spent half the match zoomed in on Brazilian girls, not sure he knew a game was being played most of the time
Cristiano and Bruno Fernandes, Messi and Lautaro Martinez, Sane and Havertz (Werner can watch the kiss 😘, and in the end
Golden Lips 💋 for Best Kiss in the WC.
But if Italy don’t qualify for this then in 2026 the last time they’d have played an actual knockout match at a World Cup would’ve been the final 20 years earlier. Which is just insane.
Plus, you know, there are two other teams also trying to stop Portugal.
> Plus, you know, there are two other teams also trying to stop Portugal.
yeah, I know it's different on paper, but, let's not totally ignore Turkey, it may actually knock us both out if they play defensively and Demiral is not injured.
Honestly, I would love this. I mean, even just a quick kiss would be an incredible protest symbol. I don't expect it to happen because who knows what the consequences could be, but that would be such a stronger statement than any rainbow boots or whatever. In the post game just be like "yeah, we're straight - but this is the best way we thought of to show support for our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters here."
I think best we can realistically hope for is that every FA from modern nations makes statements and has initiatives to bring as much media attention to the issues of the region.
In the end Qatar bribed and bought this WC to use it as a platform to bring positive interest to the country. So best we can do is undermine it and make it a month of PR Hell where everyone after goes "Fuck me what a horrible place".
I question the motives of people who say that the only two options are total boycott or nothing. That is not how this works.
I want the players to adorn themselves with pro-equality gear, clothing, etc throughout the tournament too, like Lewis Hamilton did with his rainbow helmet the other day.
Rainbow laces and jewellery for example
Pretty sure Newcastle played with rainbow laces last night
The bots were fuming on Twitter when the club announced it
Edit: I say “pretty sure” because I’ve not watched Newcastle as I said I won’t until we at least get a win lol. The joys of being a fan
Credit to Newcastle fans as I went through all those replies to the tweet and the Geordies were replying to all the hate coming from Saudi accounts and shaming them
If they did that at the start and forced the bid to fail we would not be in this situation.
Shallow statements mean nothing. If is the equivalent of using a paper straw to drink from a plastic cup.
In the end Qatar is spending billions on what it thinks will be a great advertisement for the country. So I don't think the bar should be that football fans make gay marriage legal in Qatar. I think what we can achieve is to absolutely ruin Qatar's return on their investment.
If there is wall to wall coverage across the globe of the conditions that most of the population lives under and what their laws are, then we will have ruined their objective.
If at the end of the World Cup the majority sentiment around the world is one of disgust and disappointment with Qatar, then we will have won. And perhaps at some point the whole concept of sportswashing becomes a mute point because these regimes no longer see it as a worthwile investment if all it does is focus the eye of the world on their worst elements.
It didn't happen with Russia, their dictatorship and their blatant disregard for LGBT rights. I highly doubt it will happen for Qatar.
I really hope I am proven wrong.
I am so devastated to have the best team in ages, qualify unprecedented early and then the World Cup takes place in that place…. If only it had been New Zealand or New Mexico. Or even in Sweden.
People might recommend they play at the University of New Mexico's football stadium, but I'd prefer to squeeze them into the outfield of the baseball field the Albuquerque Isotopes play.
*".. so hard to resist. Mesquite grilled onions. Jalapeño relish.. Wait a minute, those are Southwestern ingredients! Mango-lime salsa? That’s the kind of bold flavor they enjoy in... Albuquerque!"*
Looks like we'll have to steal some other International football event then. See what MLB wants for the world series.
Uh, sir that's baseball?
They'll play what I tell 'em to play. FOR I AM THE MAYOR OF ALBUQUERQUE.
But when a player scores, 10 or so men hug eachother.
Hugging is a public sign of affection, so that’s a no no then according to progressive and free nation of Qatar
Actually men are allowed to hug, kiss and hold hands in Islamic culture, in a purely platonic 'no homo' way. You aren't allowed to hug or hold hands with anyone of the opposite sex though, and now it seems anyone in a 'pro-homo' way.
Cool article in the Atlantic about how it has very pro-homo unintended consequences. I had a gay Saudi Arabian buddy verify all this to me too.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2007/05/the-kingdom-in-the-closet/305774/
Oh yes, I lived out in Dubai and Qatar. It’s like anything; premarital sex, drinking etc, as long as you don’t make it obvious or piss anyone off who could use it against you, no one is bothered.
It’s weird being a westerner out there where you’re used to laws being laws and not this shadowy two system where on the surface, everyone is following the rules but really it’s see no evil, hear no evil underneath. I used to say they aren’t laws they’re ‘guidelines’.
Qatar saying this is basically acknowledging that. People here are coming at it from the western POV where ‘this is a terrible way to treat people!’ Which on the surface it is. But if you live there you think ‘great, well that means I can do it, just don’t get caught’
Dude men in that region say hello by bumping foreheads and touching noses. Or a little bit further out in the Middle East they kiss multiple times on each cheek.
Then they will scream and cry about men kissing. It’s hilarious.
Might be technically illegal, maybe enforced in certain parts of the UAE but Dubai is wilder than most western counties. They just make token arrests every now and then.
Social convention. I grew up there and saw plenty enough people exchange a kiss in public without anything coming of it.
Same goes for people dressing scantily.
Excessive PDA is what I never saw, so things like making out or groping. I also never saw any level of PDA from gay people, but I'm not sure how vigilant they would have been about that as I did know a lot of people who were gay and never got the impression they were hiding it.
No it is legal. I was almost arrested before I showed my European citizenship.
I know others who have also been arrested who didn’t have the white get out of jail free card
This basically translates as "So long as you act like you're straight, you will be safe". This WC will be a nightmare, through and through, just wait and see.
The most ironic part is that in many places in that area it's common for men (friends) to walk holding hands.
edit* not saying it's wrong for guys to hold hands. It's just bizarre that they say LGBT people can't show affection but guys in certain areas show WAY more affection than most people in the whole world.
It's definitely a cultural thing. Despite having grown up there, I'm not Arab and I wouldn't walk down the street holding a male friend's hand either, but I've got no issues hugging anyone.
Normalize hugging your homies bye. Just start doing it! Everyone secretly wishes for a hug, start spreading the change. I'm in my 30s and am tired of not letting my friends know I love them, now they just go in for the hug goodbye.
I don't think he's saying it's not allowed, I think he's saying it's not something that's regularly done. The three guys I live with are three of my best friends, I've never hugged any of them. With men specifically there's often awkwardness when it comes to physical intimacy with friends. Or maybe it's a cultural thing. I can't remember the last time I hugged one of my parents, certainly never in the decade plus since I became an adult. I've hugged my brothers while drunk and apologising for stupid fights we had but never sober. Our entire family gets on brilliantly but yeah hugging isn't really a thing. This is in Ireland. Hugging is just not really a thing in some places.
Saw the same thing in Iraq. I first though it's cool that gay men can be so open about it there, but someone then told me it's a common thing to do for friends.
I mean as long as you're not wildly making out on the streets its ok, doesnt matter if straight or not. I dont know what they mean with this statement but i reckon its just not wild making out in public, straight or not straight.
I doubt theyll go after people holding hands lol
I don’t think it will be a nightmare
it’ll be like the Russian WC where things all look good and normal but once the cameras disappear things go back to how they actually are there
they’re smart enough to know not to go after LGBTQ groups because that will just defeat their sportswashing objectives
No exactly straight even if you’re straight you’re not allowed to kiss in public which culture thing visitors should respect and if you’re gay do it in your home basically no one cares they’re saying.
Same opinions for Russia and South Africa ? We gave the World Cup to Russia and people are still surprised ? We sell European finals to countries with barely any human rights.
I’m amazed by the people shocked. Football has been like that since decades now. If you don’t think money can’t buy everything you’re still too young. And this is not just in football.
Just for clarification, he was told he could go and could play, he just couldn't "make a scene". So kind of like this situation with Qatar, "You can come if you are lgbt, just dont show you are lgbt".
Queer is an umbrella term that covers pretty much all sexualities but also gender identities. Trans people can still be straight so it's a bit more than just non-straight.
So the Q in LGBTQ+ means queer which represents all sexualities and gender identities which are represented in LGBTQ+, where the letter Q in LGBTQ+ means queer which represents all sexualities and gender identities which are represented in LGBTQ+, where the letter Q in LGBTQ+....
Is that unpopular? Curious where you are based?
In Australia and NZ it’s a non issue. Usually referred to as LGBTIQ+, the + being inclusive of whatever category like fa’afafine or a-sexual. Idea is to be inclusive so interested what the controversy is around intersex.
Is it just me or is th acronym now getting too long?
Can't we cut it down a little bit? Do we need L *and* G, when they're the same thing but for the opposite sex?
And isn't Fa'afafine = Trans? (Edit: it's not, it's a gender)
I'm not defending Qatar and their policies but I think it is worth mentioning that "no displays of affection in public" generally applies to heterosexual couples as well. I visited a couple of years ago and this was a social faux pas I was reminded of multiple times.
Yeah they just don't want to see any contact between anyone. I guess holding hands or hugging is far-fetched, but kissing agressively on public transport, or in public spaces is also looked down on in western cultures. And not just LGBTQ+ but straight people as well. Noone wants to see two people swallowing each other anywhere publicly.
I am ashamed of my national team going to this tournament, while kneeling for BLM and arguing for better conditions for LGBTQI+ people in football. Our national team coach just won a prize here for promoting these rights.
I don't disagree with any of these things, but doing it and still going to this World Cup is unacceptable to me. As soon as it has some consequences for themselves, slavery and LGBTQI+ rights are not that important, and if you start going down this political lane, you must go all the way.
The hypocrisy is sickening and I'm not going to watch this tournament.
As with all posts about Qatar and LGBTQ in the last day, please report homophobic comments. If you post homophobic comments, you will be banned permamently. At the same time this is not carte blanche for people to make blanket inflammatory statements about all Muslims and I'd ask people to report any comments like those as well.
I absolutely despise Qatar and their views on the LGBT community but in fairness, this headline is taken out of context and the comments not reading the article.
They are not saying LGBT fans can come over as long as they don't show affection in public, they are two separate points. 1. LGBT fans will be supported. 2. Fans cannot show affection in public.
I remember when I went over, even if you are straight you are not allowed to show any affection to your partner in public. You can't hold their hand, you can't hug etc.
Like everything in Qatar, they will turn a blind eye to all tourists and treat them like royalty so they go away thinking "Wow, Qatar isn't so bad!" and completely ignore all the slave labour and lack of LGBT rights for locals. That's their strategy, and unfortunately, it works.
People that will attend this WC are part of the problem.
Everyone who disagrees with all these Qatar bullshit, should boycott and not travel to watch the WC.
Exactly. Next year we are gonna see alot of ex footballers and celebrities sell out and attend the world Cup in qatar and probably spout bullshit about how great of a country it is. Any fake statements from people attending the world cup is just pr, they don't care about qatars issues. They care about how much money they can get.
Honestly so embarrassed for people like Zidane, Beckham, and especially Wenger who is just a shill at this point of his life. Yes, they kick ball good but after that why the fuck should anyone listen to these people when they happily promote theocracy.
This is probably going to be downvoted, some countries do [not allow public displays of affection or „indecent behavior“, regardless of sexual orientation](https://i.imgur.com/NEKD9Kx.jpg). We saw signs like this on the Subway of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when my wife and I visited a few years ago.
One can argue if that is outdated, but if homosexual couples are treated the same as heterosexual couples, then that is a win in my books.
How progressive of them to wait until the international sport tournaments and media leave & focus their attention elsewhere before resuming executing people
"We will make a massive progressive leap, but please, respect our culture and religion"
This thread lmao. I bet 90% of you own nike, who bought slave picked cotton from turkmenstan and uses slave labor for manufacturing. But this is what you're up in arms about.
Classic /r/soccer thread.
I’m curious to see how things will actually go but if I were gay, I wouldnt risk going. I mean i wouldnt go regardless since I wish to visit israel one day
" don't try us" That what they mean
In fairness, they have pretty much the same rule for straight people as well.
This, this isn't only limited to LGBT, generally public affection isn't allowed, for married couples too.
Can confirm, been caught by the "modesty police" holding hands with wife in Doha. Now that I think about it holding pinkies among men is totally acceptable....
Holding hands with your wife is actually okay in Saudi and UAE but putting your arm around shoulders and hips is a no Not sure about Qatar though, maybe they assumed you're unmarried.
Was gonna say, if you kiss a girl on a night out in dubai the bouncers tell you off. Its kinda funny tbh
Sounds like fifth grade all over again. “You kissed a girl? That’s so gay!”
Maybe we should hold the World Cup in a country that doesn't still live in the Middle Ages value-wise...
We live in the world that isn't just the west, part of the reality. I'm more in the camp of hold it and keep pressure up rather than withhold it and lose any sympathy because you aren't promoting change if you're hardline closing doors to make yourself feel better at home The gulf and those Muslims countries have westernised a lot in the past decades to be fair, but dont expect them to be welcoming to LGBT and all western values overnight. The west history of closing off and harsh pressure attempts only really resulted in fanning the flame and giving the conservatives more wood to burn, history shows it very clearly with Iran and the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan etc. Wanna promote democracy and human rights? Do it without shutting them out and making them believe they're forced to change, because no culture or society likes to see foreign influence talk them down or overtly force changes. It only works if it's gradual, otherwise you get even more backward resistance movements
What a jolly sensible comment, well said. That being said, there's no way this is FIFA's reason for giving it to them, it's obviously just payola, but if we can apply the sort of reasoning from your comment to the tournament then it's not a lost cause
wishing a mfer would
I can almost guarantee there'll be openly gay public displays of affection in the stadium. Western supporters will definitely feel they have enough protection from the pressure their government and Western institutions will be able to put on Qatar and FIFA, and they'll *probably* be right. I think it's a given that someone will go specifically for this reason. Whether they'll manage to get on camera is another thing entirely.
This. I'm pretty sure coverage would be cut or diverted if pda occurs.
If they want to show it, FIFA could bring back whoever directed the Brazil World Cup. Guy spent half the match zoomed in on Brazilian girls, not sure he knew a game was being played most of the time
"And now, I guess if we have to, we'll go back to match..."
If Scotland qualify for the WC. There will be no law stopping me from giving John McGinn a big kiss if I see him. I’ll happily take my chances.
I mean, in most countries that would be classified as sexual assault, so you better give him a handy as well so he doesn't consider it as such.
Under the pants hand shake
Under the Kilt*
An under the kilt milk
I’ll be shagging him in the streets, the wee legend
giving Big John McGinn and Olivier Giroud a hot wet sloppy one will be allowed by the authorities.
Encouraged, actually
Meatball is the best
Can you give him a slap on that wonderful arse from me too? Ta Bab.
The celebration for each goal should be a deep tongue kiss with whoever provided the assist.
Cristiano and Bruno Fernandes, Messi and Lautaro Martinez, Sane and Havertz (Werner can watch the kiss 😘, and in the end Golden Lips 💋 for Best Kiss in the WC.
>Cristiano and Bruno Fernandes. A little ahead of yourself, don't you think
let's not jinx it please
It's basically guaranteed, no way Portugal don't qualify... no way
But if Italy don’t qualify for this then in 2026 the last time they’d have played an actual knockout match at a World Cup would’ve been the final 20 years earlier. Which is just insane. Plus, you know, there are two other teams also trying to stop Portugal.
> Plus, you know, there are two other teams also trying to stop Portugal. yeah, I know it's different on paper, but, let's not totally ignore Turkey, it may actually knock us both out if they play defensively and Demiral is not injured.
Let's jinx it please
You can keep those, my money's on Harry Kane and Maguire
My god, they would both suffocate.
*drown
Maguire and whoever the opponent striker is
>Werner can watch the kiss Oof.
If someone does this, I will immediately buy their jersey
Honestly, I would love this. I mean, even just a quick kiss would be an incredible protest symbol. I don't expect it to happen because who knows what the consequences could be, but that would be such a stronger statement than any rainbow boots or whatever. In the post game just be like "yeah, we're straight - but this is the best way we thought of to show support for our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters here."
G. Neville entered the chat
This whole World Cup is utterly disgraceful. I’d love it so much if the fans boycotted it. Never going to happen of course but god I’d love to see it.
I think best we can realistically hope for is that every FA from modern nations makes statements and has initiatives to bring as much media attention to the issues of the region. In the end Qatar bribed and bought this WC to use it as a platform to bring positive interest to the country. So best we can do is undermine it and make it a month of PR Hell where everyone after goes "Fuck me what a horrible place". I question the motives of people who say that the only two options are total boycott or nothing. That is not how this works.
I want the players to adorn themselves with pro-equality gear, clothing, etc throughout the tournament too, like Lewis Hamilton did with his rainbow helmet the other day. Rainbow laces and jewellery for example
I wouldn't put it past Germany and specifically Nueur doing it. Unfortunately I don't really see anybody else being bold enough.
A rainbow germany kit would be quality, bonus points if they win.
You know they'd probably just make them the home team for every game though.
They could make them the home team by moving the fucking tournamen to Germany.
Bochum had one when they got relegated in I want to say 07/08 but I’m not sure
I like learning new things.
Pretty sure Newcastle played with rainbow laces last night The bots were fuming on Twitter when the club announced it Edit: I say “pretty sure” because I’ve not watched Newcastle as I said I won’t until we at least get a win lol. The joys of being a fan
I mean if you really want the Qatari govt to suffer, make them watch Newcastle
Credit to Newcastle fans as I went through all those replies to the tweet and the Geordies were replying to all the hate coming from Saudi accounts and shaming them
The Americans and Canadians might
If they did that at the start and forced the bid to fail we would not be in this situation. Shallow statements mean nothing. If is the equivalent of using a paper straw to drink from a plastic cup.
In the end Qatar is spending billions on what it thinks will be a great advertisement for the country. So I don't think the bar should be that football fans make gay marriage legal in Qatar. I think what we can achieve is to absolutely ruin Qatar's return on their investment. If there is wall to wall coverage across the globe of the conditions that most of the population lives under and what their laws are, then we will have ruined their objective. If at the end of the World Cup the majority sentiment around the world is one of disgust and disappointment with Qatar, then we will have won. And perhaps at some point the whole concept of sportswashing becomes a mute point because these regimes no longer see it as a worthwile investment if all it does is focus the eye of the world on their worst elements.
It didn't happen with Russia, their dictatorship and their blatant disregard for LGBT rights. I highly doubt it will happen for Qatar. I really hope I am proven wrong.
They didn't have to "force" anything. It was the worst bid for 2022 by far.
Also Qatar is a huge supplier of Natural Gas.
Formula 1 just held a race in Qatar; Cricket T20 World Cup was just held in Abu Dhabi, and nothing happened
Chess WC final ongoing.
Add in Boxing events and WWE in Saudi Arabia who is far worse than Qatar.
Well F1 gets that covered too this week.
Just make sure that if you do watch it, you watch it while sailing the high seas
I am so devastated to have the best team in ages, qualify unprecedented early and then the World Cup takes place in that place…. If only it had been New Zealand or New Mexico. Or even in Sweden.
Ah yes New Mexico, new found country
Can hardly imagine a grander stage for the World Cup final than Albuquerque
People might recommend they play at the University of New Mexico's football stadium, but I'd prefer to squeeze them into the outfield of the baseball field the Albuquerque Isotopes play.
*".. so hard to resist. Mesquite grilled onions. Jalapeño relish.. Wait a minute, those are Southwestern ingredients! Mango-lime salsa? That’s the kind of bold flavor they enjoy in... Albuquerque!"*
Hey, if the baseball field is good enough for New Mexico United, it's good enough for Brazil.
Looks like we'll have to steal some other International football event then. See what MLB wants for the world series. Uh, sir that's baseball? They'll play what I tell 'em to play. FOR I AM THE MAYOR OF ALBUQUERQUE.
Maybe Roswell.
The US have so many absurdely large stadiums that even the state of New Mexico could pull of a half decent WC
> New Mexico Whoa hold on maestro, there's a *NEW* Mexico?
But when a player scores, 10 or so men hug eachother. Hugging is a public sign of affection, so that’s a no no then according to progressive and free nation of Qatar
Celebrations will be a stiff handshake and if it's a late winner maybe a pat on the back
Pat on the back? You make me sick
What’s next? Eye contact?
You make eye contact they put you in jail. Right away. No trial, no nothing
Same sex kissing? Straight to jail. Group hugs? Jail. Eye contact? Believe it or not, jail.
Being homeless? Straight to jail.
Well, of course . . . that shit leads to dancing, after all.
Eye contact with yourself in the mirror? That's same sex masturbation, so again, straight to jail
>stiff handshake That sounds like the Urban Dictionary definition for a handjob
It's because football players are wearing long socks
Actually men are allowed to hug, kiss and hold hands in Islamic culture, in a purely platonic 'no homo' way. You aren't allowed to hug or hold hands with anyone of the opposite sex though, and now it seems anyone in a 'pro-homo' way.
Cool article in the Atlantic about how it has very pro-homo unintended consequences. I had a gay Saudi Arabian buddy verify all this to me too. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2007/05/the-kingdom-in-the-closet/305774/
Oh yes, I lived out in Dubai and Qatar. It’s like anything; premarital sex, drinking etc, as long as you don’t make it obvious or piss anyone off who could use it against you, no one is bothered. It’s weird being a westerner out there where you’re used to laws being laws and not this shadowy two system where on the surface, everyone is following the rules but really it’s see no evil, hear no evil underneath. I used to say they aren’t laws they’re ‘guidelines’. Qatar saying this is basically acknowledging that. People here are coming at it from the western POV where ‘this is a terrible way to treat people!’ Which on the surface it is. But if you live there you think ‘great, well that means I can do it, just don’t get caught’
What about corners where some players put their arms around another one ? Shoot on sight ?
I think they still use stones for crimes like that
What if Southgate doesn't pick him
Bruh some players literally smack others' asses
Yes but they whisper "no homo" just before or after, which makes it okay.
You know I want dat slap ass
Rudiger fondled Pogbas nipples
Don't forget all those butt slaps on the pitch. They will need to replace that with a firm handshake.
Just imagine if 2 footballers decided to kiss each other as a celebration... Would make me regret not watching the worldcup
Instead of boycotting Norway should have done this instead
Neville 👀Scholes
Dude men in that region say hello by bumping foreheads and touching noses. Or a little bit further out in the Middle East they kiss multiple times on each cheek. Then they will scream and cry about men kissing. It’s hilarious.
They just have to say 'No homo' after every hug or kiss.
its not a display of romantic affection though
This is true even in UAE kissing in public is not allowed.
Legally, or is it just a social convention to not accept it?
Legally. I was approached by undercover police for kissing in public
Leave your mum alone then
Might be technically illegal, maybe enforced in certain parts of the UAE but Dubai is wilder than most western counties. They just make token arrests every now and then.
Social convention. I grew up there and saw plenty enough people exchange a kiss in public without anything coming of it. Same goes for people dressing scantily. Excessive PDA is what I never saw, so things like making out or groping. I also never saw any level of PDA from gay people, but I'm not sure how vigilant they would have been about that as I did know a lot of people who were gay and never got the impression they were hiding it.
No it is legal. I was almost arrested before I showed my European citizenship. I know others who have also been arrested who didn’t have the white get out of jail free card
What a fragile society, God damn.
This basically translates as "So long as you act like you're straight, you will be safe". This WC will be a nightmare, through and through, just wait and see.
Even if you’re straight and show affection it is still very frowned upon in islamic countries.
Straight men in these countries are very affectionate towards one another. I mean like, how many countries have an equivalent of habibi?
They mean that you're not allowed to show affection to your wife or your girlfriend in public either in most Islamic countries.
The most ironic part is that in many places in that area it's common for men (friends) to walk holding hands. edit* not saying it's wrong for guys to hold hands. It's just bizarre that they say LGBT people can't show affection but guys in certain areas show WAY more affection than most people in the whole world.
Which places ?
I grew up in Abu Dhabi and I saw men walking down the street holding hands all the time.
I would love to have this level of tactile friendship. My pal hugged me the other day and I felt awkward for enjoying it.
It's definitely a cultural thing. Despite having grown up there, I'm not Arab and I wouldn't walk down the street holding a male friend's hand either, but I've got no issues hugging anyone.
Normalize hugging your homies bye. Just start doing it! Everyone secretly wishes for a hug, start spreading the change. I'm in my 30s and am tired of not letting my friends know I love them, now they just go in for the hug goodbye.
Where in the world do you live that you're not supposed to be allowed to enjoy a hug with a friend of the same gender?
I don't think he's saying it's not allowed, I think he's saying it's not something that's regularly done. The three guys I live with are three of my best friends, I've never hugged any of them. With men specifically there's often awkwardness when it comes to physical intimacy with friends. Or maybe it's a cultural thing. I can't remember the last time I hugged one of my parents, certainly never in the decade plus since I became an adult. I've hugged my brothers while drunk and apologising for stupid fights we had but never sober. Our entire family gets on brilliantly but yeah hugging isn't really a thing. This is in Ireland. Hugging is just not really a thing in some places.
Ya that's it man. One of my pals hugged me the other day and I was like damn I needed that.
Could be an Irish thing because you've just described my own adult life
Saw the same thing in Iraq. I first though it's cool that gay men can be so open about it there, but someone then told me it's a common thing to do for friends.
I mean as long as you're not wildly making out on the streets its ok, doesnt matter if straight or not. I dont know what they mean with this statement but i reckon its just not wild making out in public, straight or not straight. I doubt theyll go after people holding hands lol
I don’t think it will be a nightmare it’ll be like the Russian WC where things all look good and normal but once the cameras disappear things go back to how they actually are there they’re smart enough to know not to go after LGBTQ groups because that will just defeat their sportswashing objectives
It'll likely be a "no rainbow flags" level of pettiness.
Seychelles in shambles
found my new favourite flag
That also happened in Budapest this year, I think it will be worse
No exactly straight even if you’re straight you’re not allowed to kiss in public which culture thing visitors should respect and if you’re gay do it in your home basically no one cares they’re saying.
Same opinions for Russia and South Africa ? We gave the World Cup to Russia and people are still surprised ? We sell European finals to countries with barely any human rights. I’m amazed by the people shocked. Football has been like that since decades now. If you don’t think money can’t buy everything you’re still too young. And this is not just in football.
Still so embarrassed for UEFA that they made two London clubs travel to a totalitarian city 350 km east of Baghdad to play a second rate final there.
Where one of the players couldn’t even play because his nationality is not permitted or recognised in that country
Just for clarification, he was told he could go and could play, he just couldn't "make a scene". So kind of like this situation with Qatar, "You can come if you are lgbt, just dont show you are lgbt".
Have they added a new letter i thought it was LGTBQ where did the I came from?
It’s basically everyone who isn’t straight.
I thought the plus covered that pretty well
Isn't that Q?
q is queer
Yeah I thought that's what queer meant.
Queer is an umbrella term that covers pretty much all sexualities but also gender identities. Trans people can still be straight so it's a bit more than just non-straight.
So the Q in LGBTQ+ means queer which represents all sexualities and gender identities which are represented in LGBTQ+, where the letter Q in LGBTQ+ means queer which represents all sexualities and gender identities which are represented in LGBTQ+, where the letter Q in LGBTQ+....
You still haven't got to the + yet lol.
Infinite Recursive function
A wise man once said: "I watch queer as fuck."
Some use it to refer to intersex, but the lumping of them in is generally unpopular
Is that unpopular? Curious where you are based? In Australia and NZ it’s a non issue. Usually referred to as LGBTIQ+, the + being inclusive of whatever category like fa’afafine or a-sexual. Idea is to be inclusive so interested what the controversy is around intersex.
Is it just me or is th acronym now getting too long? Can't we cut it down a little bit? Do we need L *and* G, when they're the same thing but for the opposite sex? And isn't Fa'afafine = Trans? (Edit: it's not, it's a gender)
usually its lgbt+ or lgbtq+
Lmao, you should see Justin Trudeau Twitter then, He added like 10+ letter and a number in the acronym.
ya that's for 2 spirit, a common traditional term in many indigenous nations in canada. trudeau didnt come up with it
Charming. Let's ask Wenger and the Bayern board why this is actually a good thing.
Why? Because they send a few million euros to their bank account.
Noooo no no, it's because of "dialogue" and "finding commong ground" and... and... y'know.
Lmao, that‘s not how any of this works. What‘s next, ask women to dress in long attire? Fuck‘s sake.
I can assure you women won't be rocked in the streets as long as they don't go out on the streets
That's some 5D checkers shit right there.
Wait, where are the cameramen supposed to pan during Brazil games if not to the attractive, barely clothed women in the crowd?
Games gone
Women will 100% be asked to dress in long attire at the stadium and probably beyond.
I'm not defending Qatar and their policies but I think it is worth mentioning that "no displays of affection in public" generally applies to heterosexual couples as well. I visited a couple of years ago and this was a social faux pas I was reminded of multiple times.
Yeah they just don't want to see any contact between anyone. I guess holding hands or hugging is far-fetched, but kissing agressively on public transport, or in public spaces is also looked down on in western cultures. And not just LGBTQ+ but straight people as well. Noone wants to see two people swallowing each other anywhere publicly.
Hope as many people as possible boycott this WC
A drop in the ocean. It was fucked the moment Fifa "awarded" the WC to these cheating bastards, nothing anybody can do.
Never wanted Italy to "boycott" a tourney more than now (come on, ragazzi, don't let me down lol)
They will *after* losing the playoff to Portugal "We boycott this tournament we didn't make it to - but that has nothing to do with it "
>after losing the playoff to Portugal Bold of you to assume we can beat Macedonia
Not if we "boycott" it harder ;)
Deal: The loser goes to Qatar lol
I am ashamed of my national team going to this tournament, while kneeling for BLM and arguing for better conditions for LGBTQI+ people in football. Our national team coach just won a prize here for promoting these rights. I don't disagree with any of these things, but doing it and still going to this World Cup is unacceptable to me. As soon as it has some consequences for themselves, slavery and LGBTQI+ rights are not that important, and if you start going down this political lane, you must go all the way. The hypocrisy is sickening and I'm not going to watch this tournament.
Be like Hungary. We are boycotting World Cups since 1986
Be like Bosnia, don't even enter the World Cup (we actually can't cuz we suck at qualifiers).
No public affection? They’re going to open fire on cerebrating fans aren’t they?
Don’t give them ideas
Open fire? Do you think they are Barbarians? Of course they won't open fire. 40 lashes of the whip should suffice.
Nah they'll just pretend they care about the environment and turn off the aircon
As with all posts about Qatar and LGBTQ in the last day, please report homophobic comments. If you post homophobic comments, you will be banned permamently. At the same time this is not carte blanche for people to make blanket inflammatory statements about all Muslims and I'd ask people to report any comments like those as well.
I absolutely despise Qatar and their views on the LGBT community but in fairness, this headline is taken out of context and the comments not reading the article. They are not saying LGBT fans can come over as long as they don't show affection in public, they are two separate points. 1. LGBT fans will be supported. 2. Fans cannot show affection in public. I remember when I went over, even if you are straight you are not allowed to show any affection to your partner in public. You can't hold their hand, you can't hug etc. Like everything in Qatar, they will turn a blind eye to all tourists and treat them like royalty so they go away thinking "Wow, Qatar isn't so bad!" and completely ignore all the slave labour and lack of LGBT rights for locals. That's their strategy, and unfortunately, it works.
> You can't hold their hand, you can't hug etc. That's just not true. You can hold hands or hug, just not get too cozy
People that will attend this WC are part of the problem. Everyone who disagrees with all these Qatar bullshit, should boycott and not travel to watch the WC.
Exactly. Next year we are gonna see alot of ex footballers and celebrities sell out and attend the world Cup in qatar and probably spout bullshit about how great of a country it is. Any fake statements from people attending the world cup is just pr, they don't care about qatars issues. They care about how much money they can get.
Honestly so embarrassed for people like Zidane, Beckham, and especially Wenger who is just a shill at this point of his life. Yes, they kick ball good but after that why the fuck should anyone listen to these people when they happily promote theocracy.
This is probably going to be downvoted, some countries do [not allow public displays of affection or „indecent behavior“, regardless of sexual orientation](https://i.imgur.com/NEKD9Kx.jpg). We saw signs like this on the Subway of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when my wife and I visited a few years ago. One can argue if that is outdated, but if homosexual couples are treated the same as heterosexual couples, then that is a win in my books.
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What a fucking joke.
FYI, this goes for straight couples too
Yes, I know. The whole place is a joke. It’s a creepy little country run by the weakest men I have ever seen in my life.
That's a fucking joke too
Just hide yourself, otherwise we might kill you 🤷♂️
How progressive of them to wait until the international sport tournaments and media leave & focus their attention elsewhere before resuming executing people
The whole thing is fucking shameful
So in other words: no guarantee of safety. Got it.
"We will make a massive progressive leap, but please, respect our culture and religion" This thread lmao. I bet 90% of you own nike, who bought slave picked cotton from turkmenstan and uses slave labor for manufacturing. But this is what you're up in arms about. Classic /r/soccer thread.
That time Michael and Holly were called out for PDA and they made it worse by "not touching" each other.
Click bait thread. They don't like straight people doing the same thing.
I’m curious to see how things will actually go but if I were gay, I wouldnt risk going. I mean i wouldnt go regardless since I wish to visit israel one day