Some LGBTQ Acceptance Brought In Qatar: Thanks To The World Cup

Qatar has been one of the countries in the world which have been able to showcase the least tolerance for LGBTQ rights. In fact, the country is recognized for its stringent measures which are imposed on people with a distorted gender identity. It is the only country in the whole world that imposes a punishment of seven years for all people entering into a same-sex relationship. This is very essential in order to note that the country of Qatar is all set to undergo a recent change over time.

 This change has been reported owing to the conduct of a much-awaited FIFA sports tournament. This tournament was first of all scheduled to be held around 2010 but has been delayed ever since then. However, it has been recently that the place has been able to host this tournament. This tournament has been in the position to offer a kind of convenience in terms of acceptance. 

What Changes Have Been Introduced In Light Of These Changes? 

Apparently, the country that has been able to struggle to even achieve the acceptance of same-sex rights, has now been able to take a big step in this direction in the light of the tournament.

Recently, an activist of Doha, Peter Spank was witnessed staging a one-man protest against the stringent Orthodox rules of Doha pertaining to the LGBTQ community. 

However, this decision has been able to attract international attention. This is because the government of the United Kingdom has issued a warning against Peter for having flouted the laws of the host country. 

Additionally, various players of the team have been wearing a rainbow bands. But to much surprise, the Qatar officials did not respond to such attempts. In fact, these people were allowed to carry forward their campaign for generating awareness about homosexual rights even in public places. 

This has probably been the first time in history that such a change has been reported so far. This might be a strong achievement for Qatar but it is significant because until previously all such attempts were brutally suppressed. This has been a positive development in that cultural exchange in terms of sports has been able to boost the performance of the country as a whole. 

How Has It Impacted The LGBTQ Residents Of Qatar? 

It must be noted that the relaxation in the policy has been only with respect to the people who have visited Qatar for the event. The residents of Qatar who are a part of this homosexual community and are affiliated with LGBTQ, however, continue to receive a backlash from the government with probably no sign of acceptance. In fact, it was in the month of September, that Qatar officials ordered the arrest of the LGBTQ group who was silently protesting for recognition. In fact, they were not even released within the time. 

The women had to undergo transformation therapy in order to come out of the bars. This basically represents the difficulties that this community has to face in a country like Qatar. But however, the recent reaction has shown a sign of hope that in the future there is the possibility that the officials will grant recognition to these communities as well. 

Conclusion

It has been for the first time that the country has participated in the capacity of being a host. The changes which have been brought may be very less but still significant for a country like Qatar. This may be able to introduce a slew of changes in the future.