The Corruption of Fifa, Drag Queen Violence and the Overflow of US Alt Right Queer Politics into Canada and Ontario
Fifa has deep roots in corruption, money laundering and bribery. It is no shock that both the world cup in Russia 2018 and now, Qatar 2022 has continued this tradition of horror. As a summary, the manipulation and bribery used in the decision making of Fifa/World Cup hosting countries have been amplified by human rights demolition.
Since the building of the Qatar stadium, over six thousand people have died due to working long hours in high summer temperatures and the lack of safety protocols. In addition, LGTBQ+ individuals are being targeted violently and made to work for free. They are being forced to disclose other LGTBQ+ identified individuals in order to receive “immunity”, which is continued free labour allegedly without further threats of violence and death. In Qatar, homosexuality is punishable by imprisonment and/or death.
There have been no consequences for Fifa or the hosting countries for the human rights violations, violence and deaths which have occurred. The “boycotts” have been pathetic, including actions by teams including France, Belgium, England and Germany wearing rainbow armbands which have since been removed due to threats from Fifa. Berlin and Paris have refused to promote showings of Fifa games in public spaces, including sports bars. Companies such as Budlight, Coca Cola, Adidas, McDonalds and Hyundai, which promote themselves as “Pride friendly” and participate in Pride Month marketing and sales have not discontinued their financial support for the World Cup.
It is not a good time to be queer. Arguably, to be living on this planet as a human at all, let alone as a queer human. CBC recently reported on the increase in violence towards queer and trans individuals in Canada as hate crimes in the US continue to soar. Most recently, a shooting of a gay nightclub in Colorado took the life of 5 queer individuals. The US government promotes LGTBQ hate by having “introduced more than 300 anti-LGBTQ bills which have included proposals to ban trans students from playing on sports teams of their gender or to block them from receiving gender-affirming care” (CBC, 2022).
Threats towards queer folks have come close to our home, Ontario. As close as, Hamilton, Guelph and Kitchener. Particularly, these threats have been directed towards drag queens and events.
Alt Right politics in the United States has not stopped at the boarder. Unfortunately with the amplification of voices such as Marjorie Taylor Green, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Joe Rogan, Matt Walsh and others, comes perceived and in some cases, rewarded permission for violence and hate towards LBTGQ+ individuals. Statistics Canada has reported an 80% increase in hate crimes towards minorities, 10% of which are directed towards the LGTBQ+ community. Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge alone, experienced an increase in hate crimes of 234% from 2019-2020. The Human Rights Campaign reported that 2021 was the deadliest year for Trans identified individuals, already followed by 32 deaths this year. Pride Toronto reported an increase of 41% in hate crimes towards LGTBQ+ populations in 2019 alone. Violent crimes have included shootings and direct threats on the lives of queer and trans folks. The scary part, is that these numbers reflect only the hate crimes reported.
If you are queer, if you have friends or loved ones who are queer, if you believe in human rights, I encourage you to question the justifications behind watching the Fifa games and encourage you to use the information within this essay to educate others who may be doing so.
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Sources and Further Reading
https://www.vice.com/en/article/5d34ek/fans-boycott-qatar-fifa-world-cup-2022
https://bdsmovement.net/tags/fifa
https://thetab.com/uk/2022/11/14/brands-sponsoring-the-world-cup-qatar-281376
https://www.investmentmonitor.ai/analysis/who-is-sponsoring-the-qatar-world-cup
https://www.cbc.ca/news/investigates/anti-lgbtq-hate-social-media-legislation-1.6663528
https://www.cbc.ca/news/investigates/libraries-threats-all-age-drag-1.6501247
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2022001/article/00005-eng.htm