Homophobic Qatar and Questioning Russia to host World Cup

by Cyd Zeigler jr..

While some of the world celebrates the announcement that the nations of Russia and Qatar will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup2, there are plenty of reasons for gay people to be dubious. Thanks to the folks at Red Card Homophobia, I checked out what gay participants, spectators and residents of Qatar have to look forward to:

In 1996, the U.S. Department of State reported that an American citizen in Qatar was sentenced to six months imprisonment and 90 lashes for homosexual activity. The individual and his family rejected a pretrial offer of expulsion in lieu of the imprisonment and lashes because the individual hoped to be able to return to Qatar.

Qatar’s constitution of 2003 reaffirms Shari’a law, and the Qatar penal code attaches a five-year prison sentence for sodomy.

Russia is no better with a long history of targeting gay people and stomping out gay visibility.

It’s disgusting that anyone would award the right to host the World Cup to such a hateful nation with such barbaric laws. Soccer does it again, putting gay players and spectators in serious danger.

outsports.com