FIFA scheduled a gay pride game for this year's World Cup and you'll never guess which countries are suiting up for it.
Two countries that imprison gays (Iran executes them).
This gay game was planned well in advance...
...but by the time the names were drawn and stadiums selected, after the draw we got Egypt v. Iran.
From Outsports:
Both Egypt and Iran criminalize gay relationships. In Iran, capital punishment is still the maximum penalty under the law.
According to the Human Dignity Trust, there is evidence in recent years of the enforcement of their respective laws in each of the two nations.
A match between countries that vociferously oppose Pride presents a complex scenario for Seattle organizers, who have set up a Pride Match Advisory Committee (PMAC) to 'shape the communications, community activations, and cultural programming' for the festivities.
The game is on June 26, which apparently is "Pride Weekend."
Egypt doesn't explicitly forbid homosexuality, though many are imprisoned on "immorality" charges for participating in gay lifestyle. In Iran, it's so illegal to be gay that some gay men "transition" to female to avoid punishment, which sometimes includes execution.
Qatar will also be playing games in Seattle during the group stage.
And of course, because equity is liberals' favorite:
Hedda McLendon is Seattle FWC26's Senior Vice President of Legacy. She told Outsports that organizers are 'working with small businesses so the region's LGBTQ+-owned enterprises are ready to benefit from the tournament's unprecedented visitor surge.'
To which some may reply: Isn't everything about soccer gay anyways?
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