BY: MAY RIEKENBERG| JULY 2, 2024
LGBTQ+ athletes have always found themselves facing discrimination. A 1979 study found that homophobic language was a significant part of social interactions in rugby– 40 years later, a 2019 study found that 82% of participants witnessed homophobic and transphobic language in sports over the last year, making advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights a continuously relevant issue. However, discrimination continues with FIFA’s ban of armbands directly supporting the LGBTQ+ community at the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 Women’s World Cup. This decision at a significant sporting event by a widely known organization, despite their insistence that “everyone is welcome,” shows that the LGBTQ+ community is far from widespread acceptance.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup’s host country of Qatar punishes same-sex relationships with up to seven years in prison, making advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights relevant and impactful. Nine nations, seven of which played in the Cup, created the “OneLove” armband in September 2022 to “promote inclusion and send a message against discrimination of any kind.” The armband features the colors red, black, and green to represent heritage and background, and the colors pink, yellow, and blue to represent gender and sexual identities.
“OneLove” Armbands. (Source: The New York Times)
The seven qualifying nations announced their intent to wear the band far in advance, despite FIFA’s fine for breaching regulations. However, hours before the tournament, FIFA publicized that athletes wearing non-FIFA-sanctioned armbands would be given a yellow card, which could negatively impact performance during the Cup. As a result, teams instead wore the FIFA-sanctioned “No Discrimination” armband, which is broader and calls no attention to LGBTQ+ rights specifically.
Australia and New Zealand hosted the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Their policies are more inclusive, although recent trends show growing homophobia following an increase in United States far-right activity. LGBTQ+ rights are still a worldwide issue, making advocacy important regardless of where the Cup is held. However, FIFA continued its ban– thereby excluding the “OneLove” armband and any rainbow armbands– and instead allowed players to choose from eight “Unite” armbands: “Unite for Inclusion,” “Unite for Indigenous Peoples,” “Unite for Gender Equality,” “Unite for Peace,” “Unite for Education for All,” “Unite for Zero,” “Unite for Ending Violence Against Women,” and “Football is Joy, Peace, Love, Hope, and Passion.” The “Unite for Inclusion” armband features the same colors as the “OneLove” armband, representing race, heritage, gender, and sexuality. While they featured a variety of causes, including partnerships with the United Nations and World Health Organization, FIFA failed to include a rainbow armband explicitly for LGBTQ+ rights, disappointing players again.
England’s Lionesses had been planning on wearing the “OneLove” armband, but instead opted to wear different armbands across different matches, including the “Unite for Inclusion” armband. England midfielder Georgia Stanway said, “If we can or we can’t wear the armband we know that we wanted to and we’ll stand by the fact that we wanted to.” Other players found creative ways around the ban to show their support, such as South Africa forward Thembi Kgatlana, who wore a rainbow undercut. New Zealand captain and defender Ali Riley sported a pride manicure featuring a rainbow on one hand, and the trans pride flag colors on the other. In addition to players protesting, stadium officials and engineers showed support: Brisbane Suncorp Stadium flooded with rainbow light when the players walked onto the pitch.
Ali Riley with her pride manicure. (Source: The Edge)
This outpouring of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community was crucial during the Cup, as it showed LGBTQ+ athletes and viewers that they were not alone, and this support remains impactful today. In 2023, 11.8% of Women’s World Cup players openly identified as part of the community– a number that has increased each year across different sports as athletes begin to feel more comfortable coming out. This large percentage of LGBTQ+ athletes shows the significance of FIFA’s lack of direct support, the disappointment that will follow, and the importance of outside support to LGBTQ+ athletes following that decision.
This solidarity is even more important a year later– following the European Parliament elections in early June, right-wing and far-right parties had significant successes. This, paired with the rise of violence against LGBTQ+ people, makes Europe an unsafe place for those in the community. FIFA is based in Europe, and sports are an integral part of lives throughout Europe, putting many athletes in a compromised position where they feel unsafe both living and traveling there to play. These athletes should be able to feel safe playing the sport they love, and while organizations like FIFA may refuse to show outright support, community solidarity can still make a difference.
Works Cited
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