Half the world is anti-gay - that's the sad reality

Qatar's World Cup ambassador, Khalid Salman, described homosexuality as "mental damage" in a ZDF interview. That was so obviously wrong that the press officer of the World Cup organizing committee immediately broke off the conversation. Salman had also said of gay visitors to Qatar: "Everyone will accept that they come here. But they will have to accept our rules.” What do you expect from an old man in an Islamic country?

Khalid Salman reminded us of a sad reality: half the world is anti-gay. She is also anti-lesbian and anti-LGBTQ. In eight states, all of them Islamic, homosexuality is punishable by death. Freedom and equality for queer people are still a long way off in China, India and Africa.

In Qatar, the maximum penalty for same-sex relationships is five years in prison. According to Human Rights Watch, the Qatar Interior Ministry arbitrarily arrests lesbian, gay and transgender people. The NGO documented six cases of severe beatings and five cases of sexual harassment in police custody between 2019 and 2022. That has to be criticized - and yet it is a far cry from the murderous practice in Iran, where homosexuals are hung from cranes.

But things are not looking rosy in parts of Europe either. A Pew study asked whether homosexuality should be accepted by society. In Poland only 47 percent agreed, in Lithuania only 28 percent (in Sweden 94 percent). And these are EU member states. Not to mention Ukraine, which is valiantly defending Europe's freedom: only 14 percent say they accept homosexuality (the same proportion as in Russia).

What follows? Qatar must guarantee the safety of all guests at the World Cup. If two men hold hands or kiss, it must be possible during the tournament. It is rather unlikely that the federal government's queer commissioner, Sven Lehmann, will be allowed to set up an information stand in front of the Al-Bayt Stadium and distribute brochures about puberty blockers. And the belief that the attitude of the people of Qatar towards LGBTQ will be different after the World Cup than before is illusory.

The emancipation and equality of queer people must be an ideal of free societies. Its acceptance is increasing worldwide. But there is still a long way to go.