LGBTQ, other rights issues called ‘huge blemish’

Carrie Serwetnyk, the first woman inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame and an advocate for equal rights in sports, is in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup and says the event is “still trying to find its joy.”

The tournament, which kicked off Sunday and runs until Dec. 18, has faced a swirl of concerns about LGBTQ and other human rights issues.

Captains of several European countries scrapped plans to wear a “OneLove” armband as a show of solidarity with the LGBTQ community after FIFA, soccer’s governing body, warned they would face on-field sanctions. Media reports from Qatar also said some fans wearing rainbow attire were refused entry to the stadiums.

Serwetnyk, who is a gay woman, said she feels very safe in Qatar during the World Cup, but acknowledges the concerns.

“If I lived here, that would probably be a different story. It’s such a conservative country,” she said. “I don’t think that fear is imagined.”

She has attended eight other FIFA World Cups and five FIFA Women’s World Cups. She said human rights issues have cast a “shadow” over the event this year.

“There’s been so much negative attention to the tournament in the press with human rights, worker’s death and LGBTQ issues, it seems like the tournament is still trying to find its joy,” she said.

“Of course, this is a huge blemish on (FIFA). They’re getting battered by the press. I think they’ll take a hard look at future choices, but I also think the Middle East deserves a World Cup.”

Some rights activists have been using the World Cup to draw attention to the conditions of LGBTQ citizens and residents in Qatar. Human Rights Watch has cited alleged cases of police brutality, arrests based solely on gender expression and government-funded forced conversion therapy for transgender people.

“The Qatari government should call an immediate halt to this abuse and FIFA should push the Qatari government to ensure long-term reform that protects LGBT people from discrimination and violence,” Rasha Younes, an LGBT rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a news release last month.

Qatar has said all are welcome at the World Cup, including LGBTQ fans, but that visitors should respect the nation’s culture. It said public displays of affection by anyone are frowned on.