11 January, 2026, 10:20 am Central - 26°C Rain

Qatar's first openly gay man has a message for football fans ahead of the FIFA World Cup

Qatar's first openly gay man has a message for football fans ahead of the FIFA World Cup

By Rusiate Baleilevuka
01/11/2022
Nas Mohamed felt compelled to come out publicly ahead of the World Cup in Qatar. Credit: Instagram @dr._nass

Nas Mohamed the first openly gay Qatari has sent out a warning to soccer fans visiting Doha for the World Cup to “be careful”.

Although visitors to the nation are generally less likely to be persecuted for same-sex sexual activity, Nas warned that fans who “don’t pass” as heterosexual may be singled out by locals.

He explained that some Qataris see LGBTIQ+ visibility as “an intentional assault on them”.

FIFA and Qatari officials have assured visitors to the nation that they will be free from discrimination, but guests are expected to adhere to the cultural norms of Qatar.

Nas was born into a traditional Arabic-speaking household in Qatar, and has made international headlines as "the first openly gay Qatari", and he's using his platform to advocate for LGBTIQ+ rights ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha.

Source:sbs.com.au

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