Hotels in Qatar reportedly refused to rent their rooms to gays
It won't be long before the whistle blows for the World Cup in Qatar. It is well known that Qatar is not necessarily known for being "particularly homo-friendly". Now, however, the homophobia that is practiced here could take on special proportions. Even though many Fifa officials keep emphasizing that queer fans are welcome to attend the sporting spectacle... it's headlines like these that leave not only the community speechless.
Because: Some hotels in Qatar are said to have already expressed that they do not want to accept gay guests. The investigation, which shows exactly that, was conducted by TV channels NRK (from Norway), SVT (from Sweden) and DR (from Denmark).
Queer couples want to book - hotels cancel
The investigation conducted by the mentioned broadcasters is quickly explained. Some journalists stated that they were gay or queer and wanted to spend their honeymoon vacations in the hotels in question. One hotel, for example, replied that gay couples were not tolerated in the hotel. Others reacted similarly.
However, there were also positive surprises. In some hotels in Qatar, it would have been possible to book a room without any problems.
The response from a total of twenty hotels is particularly exciting. Because: the responsible persons in question explained that it was fine for same-sex couples to spend their honeymoon here if their being gay was not visible to the outside world. "Sexual behavior" in public was prohibited. "Gay clothing" was also not desired.
There were also some hotels that simply ignored the request.
How welcome are queers in hotels in Qatar?
This is a question that some people are likely to ask themselves after the investigations. After all, one of the biggest sporting events in the world is coming up in Qatar. The fact that many gay couples would probably also like to take part should not come as a great surprise.
Above all, the result of the investigation extremely clashes with the appeasement of those responsible at FIFA. Another consideration: If queers are already not tolerated in hotels, what happens on the street? Is it dangerous to stand by oneself and one's partner? Definitely! In Qatar, homosexuality is a punishable offense. In the worst case, death by execution is imminent.
In the past, many athletes and politicians have spoken out on the subject. Many of them do not like the fact that such a big (and important) event is being held in a country that is in such a bad position in terms of respecting human rights.
Organizing Committee of the World Cup responds to request
The journalists who were entrusted with carrying out the investigation did not want to let the results stand and asked the organizing committee, which was entrusted with hosting the World Cup in Qatar, for a statement. All they said was that they asked for cultural norms to be respected.
The fact that this very attitude repeatedly leads to discussions is not new. Qatar has long been accused of discriminating against minorities, especially the LGBTQIA+ community. This discrimination even goes so far that it is a punishable offense to be gay or to live out one's homosexuality in the country. In the worst case, there is even the threat of the death penalty. Whether the fear of being severely punished is worth going to a soccer match is something that some fans are probably considering by now.