Being LGBT

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Apart from football, the men’s World Cup in Qatar has also led to analysis and discussion around the country’s human rights, including its treatment towards LGBT people. Qatar is far from the only country where someone’s sexuality is considered an issue, so we decided to bring together members of the LGBT community from various countries - including Turkey, Russia, Jordan and the UK - to hear their experiences. For Alyona, a bisexual woman from Russia, the problems are particularly bad if she’s seen with a same sex partner. “If I’m holding hands with my partner on the street, people can call me a pervert. They can try to touch me, they can be rude with me, they can be vocally aggressive,” she says. “If, for example, I try to kiss my partner they can be physically aggressive.” Host James Reynolds also hears from a Jewish Rabbi, a Christian Bishop and a Buddhist monk - who are also members of the LGBT community - about their faith and coming out. Rabbi Mark Solomon left his Orthodox synagogue but, even among more accepting surroundings in the UK, he discovered some kick back after coming out in a newspaper. “People in my little liberal congregation in central London were deeply uncomfortable,” says Solomon. “They said we don’t want to be known as a gay synagogue with a gay rabbi and they asked if I’d stop talking about it and I said: ‘No, I can’t stop talking about it. I can’t put myself back in the closet’.” (Photo: People take part in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community rally "VIII St.Petersburg Pride" in St. Petersburg, Russia August 12, 2017. Credit: Anton Vaganov/Reuters)