Can LGBTQ+ fans really travel safely to Qatar?

A 1.2 million estimated Football fans travel to Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

But will openly LGBTQ+ people, whose existence is illegal in the tiny Gulf state, be among them?

Activists and travel experts doubt that.

What LGBTQ+ people should know about Qatar

The Foreign Office of the British government gets straight to the point.

“Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar,” says the World Cup travel advisory, “privacy is largely respected in Qatar, but any intimacy between people in public can be considered offensive, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or intentions.”

In its general advice, the State Department says people should be aware that while the country is hosting World Cup visitors, Qatar is a conservative country and they should be aware of the laws and customs.

So what laws and customs should LGBTQ+ people be aware of? According to ILGA, an international organization for LGBTQ+ rights, there are some.

First, same-sex sexual activity is illegal under the Penal Code, with section 285 carrying up to seven years in prison for “sodomy” and “intercourse.”

While Qatar denies that this ever happened, under Sharia law it is technically possible for gay, bisexual and pansexual Muslim men to be sentenced to death.

ILGA Asia says the death penalty is unlikely to be imposed on visiting World Cup fans, but safety is not a guarantee.

There are also almost no gender recognition laws in Qatar. Trans-Qataris cannot change their legal sex or gender characteristics on their identity documents.

There have also been numerous cases of arbitrary arrests of LGBTQ+ Qataris, according to Human Rights Watch.

Qatari border officials can legally bar LGBTQ+ people from entering the country and deport them, ILGA added. There is also no protection against hate crimes and LGBTQ+ protests are banned.

What did Qatar or FIFA say about the arrival of LGBTQ+ people?

A senior Qatari security official, Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari, said rainbow flags could be confiscated to “protect” fans.

Although he insisted that LGBTQ+ people were “welcome to the World Cup in Qatar”.

FIFA played a similar tune. The international governing body says it is “confident that all necessary measures will be taken to ensure that LGBTIQ+ fans and allies can enjoy the tournament in a welcoming and safe environment like everyone else”.

Earlier today, however, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino tried to allay long-standing concerns about the World Cup in Qatar by saying Western fans shouldn’t judge.

In a meandering speech, he compared his red hair as a child to the pathetic LGBTQ+ face of Qataris as he urged people to criticize him and not Qatar.

‘I know how it feels [like] being discriminated against… I was bullied because I had red hair,” he said. “Besides, I was Italian.”

At the time of writing, it is still unclear whether someone in Qatar can go to jail for red hair on technical or other grounds.

Advice for LGBTQ+ tourists, according to experts

Is there anything for LGBTQ+ participants to attend to stay safe?

Liz Ward, program director at Stonewall, says queer fans should read official travel advice first.

“As we approach the 2022 Men’s World Cup, let’s not forget that Qatar is a country where LGBTQ+ people are persecuted for being themselves,” she told Metro.co.uk.

“We encourage fans to follow official FCDO travel advice, but unfortunately this year’s tournament is not safe for everyone.”

Global Travel Moments founder Duncan Greenfield-Turk says as a gay man he doesn’t feel safe enough to visit Qatar. His travel agency also advises against it.

“A trip to Qatar would be considered a life-threatening risk,” he warns.

“Can you travel there? Naturally. But as an individual you have to make sure that you hide who you are, effectively lock yourself away and you can only do that if you present yourself as a cis man or woman.”

Trans and non-binary people should pay extra attention, he says, for example whether the gender designation on their travel documents reflects who they are.

For those considering flying, Greenfield-Turk says, “First, work with a travel advisor who specializes in LGBTQ+ travel to find out if there are any laws, regulations, etc. that pose a risk to your life.

“If you travel for work, report it to your employer, as they have a moral and legal obligation to protect you and sending you to an unsafe country is a violation of that.”

Not every Qatari necessarily agrees with criminalizing LGBTQ+ people, but the raised eyebrows of the local population should be kept in mind, Greenfield-Turk added.

It will also be difficult for LGBTQ+ people to find accommodation.

First of all, there are not many beds for everyone. Only about 130,000 rooms for up to 1.2 million visitors are expected during the tournament.

Some apartments are under construction and the Qatar 2022 website has an accommodation portal for booking accommodation. But it is better to go through a travel advisor who can take into account the safety of LGBTQ+ people.

“Choose your hotel carefully and let as many family and friends as possible know where you are staying and what room you have,” says Greenfield-Turk. “Travel in a group whenever possible and don’t travel alone.”

Ian Johnson is CEO of Out Now, an LGBTQ+ marketing agency that has worked extensively with the tourism industry.

Johnson said Out Now has not trained hotels in Qatar, but has helped tourism officials support LGBTQ+ people in countries that criminalize them.

For hotels in Qatar looking to accommodate LGBTQ+ guests, Johnson recommends training staff on how to best support them and showing (perhaps literally with a Pride flag) that they are LGBTQ+.

Johnson admits that may not be very realistic. “We fear that this will be very difficult or even impossible for many accommodation providers under all circumstances,” he says.

But the best expert tip for LGBTQ+ World Cup fans? Don’t go to Qatar

Many experts have struggled to offer advice, often saying it goes against the values ​​of pride and openness espoused by the LGTBQ+ community.

Johnson himself was among them. “Some ardent LGBTQ+ fans will undoubtedly prioritize football and choose to attend the World Cup in Qatar,” he says.

However, this will be a minority of the much larger number of LGBTQ+ fans that would normally be expected if the event were held in a more supportive country.

“When you know that you could end up in prison or that some LGBTQ+ people are at risk of execution, it becomes very difficult to feel welcome or safe in such a place. There doesn’t seem to be the only absolutely safe option. to be.’

Finally, Johnson says safety is something LGBTQ+ people should consider when booking vacations or travel for work.

According to an Out Now poll, more than eight in ten LGBTQ+ people consider whether their existence is, well, illegal when it comes to deciding where to travel.

Jack Duncan, co-founder of tour operator Blank Canvas Travel, knows how LGBTQ+ people can travel to Qatar. But he would never recommend it.

“My advice is not to go,” he says, “because if I did, I’d be proposing things I wouldn’t like to suggest.

“Separate beds, no overt displays of affection, all because I hate advising gays to hide who we are.

“It’s just wrong.”

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