Zander Murray ‘hurt and upset’ by Qatar ambassador’s anti-gay comments
“I can't fail to be hurt by what's being said there,” Murray said.
Zander Murray, the first openly gay Scottish footballer, says he’s “hurt and upset” by a Qatar ambassador’s comments regarding the LGBTQ+ community.
Earlier this month, international Qatar World Cup ambassador, Khalid Salman, said that homosexuality is “damage in the mind”. He said: “They have to accept our rules here,” before saying that homosexuality “is haram,” meaning ‘forbidden’.
Reacting to that statement, the Gala Fairydean Rovers striker says that his publicly positive coming out in the UK in contrast to these homophobic comments is why he “felt deeply hurt by them,” in a recent interview with Sportsmail.
Condemning the messaging, the 31-year-old player calls on others to speak up against the Gulf state’s laws – homosexuality is illegal in Qatar and can be punishable with lengthy prison sentences and under Sharia law, death.
“I am now an openly gay footballer,” Murray shares. “And, of course, you feel hurt and upset by comments like that. I can’t change who I am and the laws in Qatar are directly attacking people like me.”
The advocacy group Human Rights Watch recently reported that six LGBTQ Qataris had been beaten and sexually harassed while in police custody. These reports were denied by Qatar.
“For years, I have tried to be someone else and pretend I am not gay and it created havoc with my life,” Murray continues. “Now I am being my true organic self, I can’t fail to be hurt by what’s being said there.”
Murray states “there will be gay players in Qatar” who are not yet out. “Some of them will have families there, some will have wives there, maybe some will have boyfriends. But there is no doubt there will be an LGBT player at this World Cup and he will have to hold everything in because there is no alternative,” he adds.
Murray says he hopes that adding to the conversation around Qatar will encourage other footballers to speak up: “Regrettably, there are not many people calling it out, but it deserves a backlash.”
“I hope there will be a ripple effect from this event which will force the lawmakers in Qatar to assess their policies,” Murray continues. “What a World Cup brings to any destination is a spotlight. There is huge scrutiny and intense publicity.”
In the footballing world, England footballers Jake Daniels and Beth Mead and Australia’s Josh Cavallo have spoken against Qatar’s World Cup hosting.
Comedian Joe Lycett has given an ultimatum to David Beckham; if the former professional footballer doesn’t end his multimillion-pound deal with Qatar, Lycett will shred £10,000 live on his website benderslikebeckham.com.
Bake Off and Strictly star John Whaite has also described David Beckham’s deal with Qatar as “disgusting”.
The FIFA World Cup will be held from 20 November to 18 December 2022.