Gay World Cup Fans Search Desperately for ‘Safe Havens’ in . . . San Francisco
Welcome back to Forgotten Fact Checks. This week, we look at LGBT rights in former and future World Cup host countries, and we cover more media misses.
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LGBT Soccer Fans Are ‘Anxious’ About Attending the World Cup in the U.S.
The state of LGBT rights in the U.S. — where, of course, gay marriage is legal and the entire month of June is dedicated to rainbow pride celebrations — is evidently so abysmal that soccer fans are scared to travel here for the upcoming World Cup.
That’s according to the San Francisco Chronicle, which published a story on the eve of “Pride Month” claiming that “open hostility to gay rights in today’s U.S. creates an anxious environment for fans traveling to attend World Cup matches.”
“In recent months, several entities, including the ACLU and Amnesty International, have issued travel advisories for visitors coming to the United States for the World Cup,” the article continues. “They warn that immigrants, racial minorities and ‘LBGTQ+ individuals have been and continue to be disproportionately targeted and affected by the administration’s policies and, as such, are most vulnerable to serious harm when traveling to and/or within the United States.’”
The story goes on to share the noble work of Pride Houses, including one in San Francisco, that offer a “safe haven” for LGBT people amid the ongoing danger and turmoil for the community.
The report earned swift backlash on social media, including the addition of a community note:
The previous FIFA World Cup in 2022 was hosted by Qatar, where same-sex acts are illegal and punishable by up to 7 years in prison, unlike the US where they have been legal nationwide since 2003 and same-sex marriage since 2015.
And in fact, under Sharia law it is even possible for Muslim men to face capital punishment for homosexual acts. However, there are no modern cases of that rule being enforced in Qatar.
But then again, the Chronicle knows this; during the 2022 World Cup, it published an op-ed from law professor Khaled A. Beydoun that argued Western media’s coverage of the event in Qatar “has put its anti-Muslim bias on full display.”
“The otherwise righteous concern for human rights in Qatar is tainted by the Islamophobic coloring of European news coverage,” Beydoun wrote, and further asked, “Is this unprecedented Western rage genuinely inspired by Qatar’s human rights record or Western bias against Qatar’s Arab and Muslim identity?”
Nonetheless, Qatar is not even the first — and won’t be the last — country with strict rules around homosexuality to host soccer’s biggest games.
In 2018, the World Cup was hosted by Russia, which not only prohibits same-sex marriage, but also bans any positive representations of LGBT relationships under its “propaganda laws.” The Russian Supreme Court has also designated the LGBT movement as an extremist organization.
While Russia decriminalized homosexuality in 1993, anyone found to be involved in the LGBT movement can face up to 12 years in prison. Even just displaying LGBT symbols can lead to up to four years in prison for repeat offenses.
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And in 2030, World Cup matches will be held by several countries, including Morocco and Paraguay, that frown on homosexual activity. The former country punishes same-sex sexual acts by up to three years in prison and fines, while the latter outlaws same-sex marriage in its constitution and has no anti-discrimination laws that protect citizens on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Worse yet, in 2034, the games will head to Saudi Arabia, where same-sex sexual activity and non-conforming gender expression are illegal and punishable by the death penalty, lengthy prison sentences, flogging, and deportation. Individuals who identify as transgender can face criminal prosecution as well.
More than 30 percent of FIFA’s member associations criminalize homosexuality, with 64 countries outlawing same-sex sexual relations.
And yet, if the San Francisco Chronicle is to be believed, it is the U.S., where same-sex marriage is legal nationwide and federal civil rights laws prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, that soccer fans need a safe space to retreat from the dangers of anti-LGBT sentiment.
Headline Fail of the Week
“Zohran Mamdani Trolls Elon Musk,” reads a new headline from New York Magazine.
Mamdani is doing so, the article claims, with his creation of the Commission on Government Efficiency, or COGE, “a tongue-in-cheek reference to Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his heavily derided federal initiative DOGE, which resulted in mass layoffs of federal workers and the downsizing of agencies, supposedly in the pursuit of government efficiency.”
While conservatives were quick to note that liberals are now celebrating Mamdani’s pursuit of government efficiency while they criticized the same efforts by Republicans at the federal level, Mamdani claims that COGE will be what that initiative “should’ve been.”
“Elon Musk manipulated the fact that so many people across this country want to see a government that is more efficient. He used that as a justification to simply slash and burn so much of the services that Americans rely on,” Mamdani said. “What we are speaking about is a sincere fulfillment of a vision that ensures that city government is operating with the same level of focus that a working-class New Yorker is when they’re trying to balance their bills.”
Media Misses
• The View, and others in the mainstream media, have cooked up yet another scandal where none exists: New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart dared to introduce President Trump at a rally for Representative Mike Lawler (R., N.Y.) While Dart spoke for roughly 30 seconds at the rally and said nothing particularly political, the hosts at the ABC show introduced the topic as “Political football! The Giant controversy after quarterback Jaxson Dart kicked off a Trump rally.”
• Jill Biden told CBS News last week that she was worried her husband, Joe Biden, was having a stroke during his abysmal debate performance against President Trump in 2024. Her comments have led critics to unearth remarks from two New York Times columnists who claimed at the time of the debate that there was no clear winner between Biden and Trump.
“Well, we had a raspy and stumbling President Biden and a deranged and incoherent Donald Trump, who spent two hours unleashing a stream of lies. Is there a winner here? Nah,” Times columnist Jamelle Bouie said at the time, while columnist Lydia Polgreen said, “No one won this debate, but there is no question who lost: anyone who plans to cast a ballot for president in November.”
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