While the outward image of the Qatar World Cup is one of pristine stadiums and lavish hosting, the daily reality of life for LGBTQ+ people remains an existence in the shadows.

The tournament has been touted by the wealthy Gulf state as a place for everyone, although the rainbow flag is unlikely to fly inside the eight arenas.

David Beckham has lent his global appeal to the host country and, by the time the first game kicks off in November, hundreds of millions of people worldwide will be watching FIFA’s showpiece.

Dr Nas Mohammed, who is the first gay Qatari with a high profile to go public, gave a drastically different account of life in the oil-rich Gulf state as he spoke out from the US for our Pride 50 series earlier this month.

Ex-pats living in the emirate who spoke to Metro.co.uk have now given similar testimonies of life for LGBTQ+ people.

Julia, a gay woman originally from Western Europe, says fans will encounter a harsh reality and be ‘putting themselves at huge’ risk if they express their authentic identities at the tournament.

She said the LGBTQ+ community has to socialise under a veil of secrecy and ‘’there is no freedom of identity’ in a country where same-sex relations are illegal. It has been reported that the offence could also result in the death penalty under Sharia law, from which legislation is derived, although there are no recorded examples of this happening.

‘Being LGBTQ+ in Qatar and I assume any other countries where being gay is criminalised is like living a half-life,’ Julia says.

‘Sure, you might be able to meet someone and get by with being extremely discreet, but you are essentially ruled by fear.

‘You’re looking over your shoulder everywhere you go in case there’s a colleague who might see you with your partner, even when you aren’t even touching, and make assumptions which lead to rumours.

‘You are reduced to lying to people you would normally trust, and at the end of the day you are extremely isolated and lonely.

‘If this was just a case of the laws dictating one thing while the people believe something different, it would be slightly more manageable, but in a country where 90% of the population denounce homosexual conduct and would gladly turn you in if a rumour were to spread to them, there is no freedom of identity.’

A doctor became possibly the first Qatari to publicly come out as gay last month. Nas Mohamed, 35, who now lives and works in San Francisco, is seeking asylum in the US as he feels unable to safely return to the emirate after his decision to step out of anonymity.

Qataris in the LGBTQ+ community who remain in the country have no open media profile and are forced to remain in the shadows.

In 2016, a gay Qatari identified only as Majid wrote an opinion article in the Doha News where he described a ‘jarring’ and ‘traumatizing’ existence in the oil-rich peninsular. He told of his upset at being the cause of his ‘parents’ anguish’ and said, ‘we are seen as fair game’.

His insights led to a backlash, with social media users targeting the newspaper with a hashtag reading ‘stop promoters of vice in Qatar’. Similar comments greeted Twitter posts about the rainbow crackdown, expressing support for Qatar’s conservative stance on LGBTQ+ issues.

Few concrete assurances about freedom of expression have been given ahead of kick-off at the 60,000-capacity Al Bayt Stadium on November 21.

One Qatari official has sounded the organisers’ intention to respect FIFA’s guidelines around rainbow flags, ‘whatever they may be’. Speaking in December 2020, World Cup chief executive Nasser Al-Khater said that ‘everybody will be welcome and everybody will be treated with respect’.

However, in the following months the tiny Gulf state gave signals that cast doubt on whether those among the anticipated 1.5 million visiting fans wanting to express LGBTQ+ identities will be welcomed.

This has included seizing children’s toys bearing rainbow colours in a clampdown on ‘un-Islamic’ items.

Peter Tatchell, one of our guest editors for Pride 2022, has called it an ‘absurd, over-the-top response by a paranoid regime’.

In the latest sign of intolerance, another Qatari official suggested flags espousing the LGBTQ+ identity could be confiscated by security to ‘protect’ fans at stadiums.

‘I think fans of the World Cup will be met with hard opposition,’ Julia says.
‘Recently, authorities banned a children’s toy and removed it from all shop shelves for having a rainbow on it.

‘So to say that gay football fans will be safe and welcome is a joke.

‘True, they may not get prosecuted while they are in the country, but any residents in the LGBTQ+ community will be putting themselves at huge risk to partake in any flag flying.’

Julia, who spoke under an assumed name, was not alone in drawing back the gold-hued marketing images to reveal a climate of fear.

In messages to Metro.co.uk, another young gay woman, of British and Singaporean background, said the imminent descent of the football world has made no different in legal and social terms.

Even for Westerners in Doha, the Qatari capital which lies within 21 miles of all the stadiums, ‘there is still much to fear,’ the expat warned.

She wrote: ‘As is the experience of many queer folks in cities/places where homosexuality is illegal/unwelcome, our experience as queer folk living in the Middle East has been suppressed.

‘We are cautious and aren’t open about our lifestyle or who we are.

‘However, because of how the society has been built, there are also a large number of open-minded liberal expats who are accepting and loving.

‘We have a small loving queer family where we are and are grateful for it. In our experience, whether in the privacy of someone’s home or being in public, we’ve not received any negative backlash from anyone when socialising with a group of other queers.

‘Surprisingly, there is an increasing number of small and subtle spaces around the city. Despite all of that, I don’t think that queer folks will/should feel fully comfortable being out and loud even if it means it’s an international and public event like a World Cup.

‘There is still much to fear and the law hasn’t changed. There is still very blatant and loud homophobia within the society.

‘Many are insistent in ensuring that the world remembers that their law and culture should be respected.’

A gay man living in Qatar was even more emphatic about the possible consequences of openly-expressed, non-conforming behaviour.

He said: ‘If anyone comes here they better not flaunt it, be discreet and for God’s sake don’t kiss in public.’

Asked if he was able to freely meet and socialise with other members of the LGBTQ+ community, the senior professional, who is in his 50s, replied bluntly: ‘No, have you gone mad?’

Another member of the LGBTQ+ community, in the same friendship circle, reflected calls by UK fans’ groups for clearer guidance around rainbow flags and general safeguards for spectators.

He said: ‘The tournament is for one month, they may ease it or not, I’m not sure. There are conflicting reports and here they thrive on confusing you.

‘You are well aware they change their mind at a drop of a hat, sadly it is the norm. One day yes, the next day no.

‘Most of this is as clear as mud, if you ask me. Remember, once you are inside [in prison], maybe towards the end of the tournament, FIFA is most likely to wash their hands as it no longer falls in the time-frame of the tournament. So warn them to be extremely careful.’

The English Football Association is standing by a statement released in December that said it has received assurances from the Qatari authorities about fans’ safety and freedom of expression at the games.

However, the country’s LGBTQ+ communities will remain in the shadows long after the world has moved on.

Metro.co.uk has approached the Qatari authorities for comment.

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Metro.co.uk celebrates 50 years of Pride

This year marks 50 years of Pride, so it seems only fitting that Metro.co.uk goes above and beyond in our ongoing LGBTQ+ support, through a wealth of content that not only celebrates all things Pride, but also share stories, take time to reflect and raises awareness for the community this Pride Month.

MORE: Find all of Metro.co.uk’s Pride coverage right here

And we’ve got some great names on board to help us, too. From a list of famous guest editors taking over the site for a week that includes Rob Rinder, Nicola Adams, Peter Tatchell, Kimberly Hart-Simpson, John Whaite, Anna Richardson and Dr Ranj, we’ll also have the likes Sir Ian McKellen and Drag Race stars The Vivienne, Lawrence Chaney and Tia Kofi offering their insights. 

During Pride Month, which runs from 1 – 30 June, Metro.co.uk will also be supporting Kyiv Pride, a Ukrainian charity forced to work harder than ever to protect the rights of the LGBTQ+ community during times of conflict, and youth homelessness charity AKT. To find out more about their work, and what you can do to support them, click here.

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