David Beckham is doubling down on his defense of Qatar. This time, he’s claiming the Gulf nation is actually a very safe place for LGBTQ+ people, despite being having some of the harshest laws and punishments against gay people in the world.
Has the soccer legend, and one-time gay icon, really stooped this low?
Sadly, yes.
Beckham, who took a $150 million deal to serve as the Gulf nation’s tourism ambassador leading up to the 2022 World Cup, was once again asked about the country’s severe anti-LGBTQ+ laws at the premiere of his new Netflix doc.
The Manchester United and Real Madrid star gave tone-deaf and offensive responses.
“Let the football do the talking, it was a great tournament, a lot of people were happy,” he told the U.K.’s Sky News.
When asked whether he researched the Arab country’s treatment of LGBTQ+ people, Beckham answered in the affirmative.
In fact, he says he’s spoken to plenty of LGBTQ+ folx who attended the World Cup, and all of them felt safe!
No word on whether those LGBTQ+ people were natives, or wealthy Western tourists, or if they really even existed at all. The distinction probably makes a big difference!
“I had a lot of conversations with the LGBTQ community when I was there. They said they had enjoyed the games and they felt it was the safest World Cup they’d had for a long time, it was an important competition and one I was proud to be a part of,” he said.
Wow. For those wondering, Qatar is ranked as the seventh most hostile nation to LGBTQ+ people on earth, according to Equaldex.
Of course he doesn’t regret accepting 150 million dollars and I would like to hear from these lgbtq people he supposedly talked to. 😒
— Joey R Johnson 👨👨👦🏳️🌈 (@Johnson__joey) October 4, 2023
He just worships money. A good example of greed and when more than enough isn’t enough for some.
— Anna (@Anna_exists) October 4, 2023
@7beckham07 is money over morality. And this new documentary is not going to redeem him.
— Steven (@The_PhantomZone) October 4, 2023
At the end of the day he’s profited off the gay community for years, many football clubs regularly sell pride kits support pride etc. yet when the time came to actually show support that didn’t have financial upsides they bailed. Says it all
— Michoo (@Michoo995) October 3, 2023
Beckham sparked outrage when he took the ambassadorship, and recorded a video extolling Qatar’s “perfection.”
In addition to Qatar’s medieval anti-LGBTQ+ laws, women are oppressed and migrant workers are widely abused. At least 6,500 migrant workers died in the 10-year lead-up to the World Cup.
But up until this week, Beckham has stayed silent. Prior to his embarrassing red carpet session, his only statement on LGBTQ+ rights in Qatar came via a boilerplate statement.
He was responding to British comedian Joe Lycett, who shredded £10,000 in (fake) cash to protest his partnership with the Middle Eastern state.
“We hope that these conversations will lead to greater understanding and empathy towards all people and that progress will be achieved,” the statement read.
What an ally!
With supporters like Beckham, who needs enemies?
It’s apparent the Inter Miami co-owner was trying to sidestep thorny issues at all costs during the World Cup. Beckham was virtually invisible during the festivities, prompting anger from his Qatari overlords.
Despite offering some lip service before the World Cup, Qatari officials wasted no time expunging any overt references to LGBTQ+ people. The biggest incident came when legendary soccer writer Grant Wahl, whose brother is gay, was detained for trying to enter a stadium wearing a t-shirt with a rainbow soccer ball.
Wahl died unexpectedly a couple of weeks later.
Players were also prevented from making pro-LGBTQ+ statements, and FIFA threatened any player who wore a rainbow armband would be penalized.
But for Beckham, none of that appears to be a problem. It’s disappointing, too. He was one of the first major male sports stars to publicly embrace his gay fans, even posing for the cover of Attitude (the magazine removed Beckham’s cover from its offices in protest of his deal with Qatar).
Married to “Posh Spice,” Beckham starred in sexy underwear ads and even wore pink nail polish on occasion. And he spoke warmly about his fondness for gay people.
“I’m very honored to have the tag of ‘gay icon,’” Beckham told the BBC in 2007. “Maybe it’s things like (the fact) I like to look after myself, I like to look smart and presentable most of the time.”
Today, he looks like a sold-out stooge. How sad to see this once great, pro-gay icon fall.
abfab
David. Didn’t get your fill in Qater? Come to the US (Florida to be exact) you blind son of a bitch.
dbmcvey
Oh, David! No!
Donston
When will we learn to stop with the “ally-ship” hyping? This isn’t 2018. Money and opportunities will almost always win over personal politics or how much you supposedly support the queers. Just like being an “ally” is profitable.
abfab
Short answer, Donston. We won’t learn. If so, we would have already. But I’m with you. Greed rules. Money talks. Keep hope alive. xo
I’ve enjoyed your offerings here.
Fahd
Need more exposé articles like this. The Beckhams are so sensitive to bad publicity? Really? In actual fact, they are all about the money.
His “dumb straight guy” act is really getting old. Every straight man has his price, I guess. The LGBTQ+ community apparently was outbid by Qatar’s $150 million. Ally/schmalleye
He shouldn´t be allowed to be a professional sports team franchise owner in the US if he´s going to act as a paid foreign agent for Qatar. Where’s 60 minutes when you need them?
abfab
And where is Andy Rooney when you really need him!
Fahd
Who?
Vince
It’s an age thing. Rooney used to be featured after every show. Long ago..
abfab
Not too long ago. October 3, 2011.
ScottOnEarth
What a joke. As if David Beckham is hanging out with everyday Queer people in any setting. IF he actually spoke with anyone from the community in Qatar, or anywhere (and I seriously doubt he did), they were probably the insulated elite that this money-grubbing materialist and his wife hang out with. It’s vile that he turns a blind eye to the obvious mistreatment and persecution Queer people face in Qatar, as the wonderful Grant Wahl showed just by wearing a rainbow t-shirt to a soccer game.
Jim
He’s had a lot of conversations with gays in Qatar!!! Really??
What a lier
He put’s money above people
He needs to make a VERY large contribution to the Rainbow Railroad. ASAP
Max
seems he’s got a big gaping hungry hole…
for a rock-hard roll of money to be shoved into.
SDR94103
what an anus.
Consider This
I do not trust David’s conclusions – at all.
Extreme caution advised for members of the LGBTQ community who travel there.
barryaksarben
Yeah right David you spoke to soooo many Im sure. It is one of the absolute worst places for gay people on the planet so you are full of it and you just lost a huge fan base you twat
nm4047
appears the cheque has cleared, now he needs to justify the ridiculous amount he’s being paid. Does he still have any sway in the world, clearly not the go to for anyone wanting an audio recording, squeaky voice of a man not aging well.
Kangol2
Becks is about the bucks, pure and simple. LGBTQ people are expendable. And no, he didn’t have “a lot of conversations with the LGBTQ community” while he was there. I wish the reporter had asked him to provide even 1-2 names (to be kept secret from Qatari authorities, of course); I doubt he could even make up a single one name a real LGBTQ person there.
MickeyMoose
THIS, coming on the heels of that video now circulating of him shaming his lying posh wife as she was giving an interview claiming she was brought up in a working class family when in fact, David pointed out on camera, her father dropped her off at school every day in the family’s Rolls Royce. $150 million hypocrite that he himself is, he concurrently lies about meeting gays at the World Cup claiming they all spoke highly of the LGBT-hating host country Qatar. There is no such thing as enough money for these people.
winemaker
Remember this for the future. Time to boycott ALL products and companies this schmuck endorses, each and every one forever. There are consequences for such behavior and financial consequences hopefully will screw this ASSWIPE into the ground financially. This is like the 1970’s boycott of Florida citrus products due to spokeswoman anita bryant’s stand on the homosexuals that put anita bryant on the SHIT list for years. Same SHIT, different decade. BTW, who the hell wants to visit quatar, just another mooslime SHITHOLE that like all mooslime SHITHOLES just happen to be in thr mid east, with the exception of malaysia, another anto gay mooslime hellhole.
cuteguy
David Beckham is as naive to lgbtq issues as Posh Spice is as naive to her husband’s fidelity. Or is it chosen ignorance?
Georgeiv2
Why is it the rich will always bend into pretzels for yet more money they don’t need ? Such a pity I thought that at least he was honest but not anymore (I know he won’t loose any sleep because of my thoughts or come to that anyone’s )
Kangol2
As someone once put it to me, once you’re that rich, you can never have enough money, because the more money you have, the more power and control you have, or think you have.
That’s why the super-rich push for ever more tax cuts, changes in the law to accommodate them, etc. They want to be able to fully control their reality–or think they can–and almost everyone else’s as well.
Noah
Why are we expecting integrity from rich people? He knew the backlash he would receive but still took the deal. Victoria Beckhams fashion line is haemorrhaging money if reports are to be believed and these people want to maintain their expense lifestyles, so that might be a reason. Fawning over celebrities (assumed allies) and awarding them these titles is so stupid, many of these celebrities who perform at pride or have gay fanbases attend anti LGBTQ churches. The pink pound is powerful and lucrative, we should support our OWN because most of the time their are using us (Harry Styles is one them).
Matthewnow
He no longer exists to me. ROT!
mateo
1. He lives in a bubble and his contact with the real world is limited at best.
2. He’s been given a boatload of money to say nice things about Qatar.
Should any of this surprise anyone? Come on, people: stop being so naïve!
Diplomat
This acceptance of this 10 year contract was entirely calculated on David’s part. He knew exactly what he was doing and the fallout he’d cause. Sounds like the end justified the means from his perspective. He knew he’d take the hit.
Diplomat
QUEERTY your reply button is completely annoying when scrolling comments, put it to the far left to quell the problem please. Thx
Glynn
David Beckham has another 8 years to run on his £125m/$180m (total) contract with queer hating Qatar. So he ain’t giving up the handbag anytime soon. So we can look forward to the image that is David Beckham bending over forward for Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al Thani for quite a while yet.
Fabulous footie news – FIFA are planning to call the 2030 tournament ‘World Cup Everywhere 2030’. They intend to host it across six countries (three in South America and 3 in Europe). Imagine the extra aviation fuel this will require – you can almost hear the petrol pump chugging it out already). FIFA are then looking, by the way, to host the 2034 World Cup, in Saudi Arabia. Who’d have thunk!
john.k
Isn’t it amazing how people who already have more money than they know what to do with always seem to want more – and will sometimes sell their souls for it.
dmarcus
I can’t get over that he was considered a gay icon ?. Since when? David saying he talked to gay ppl in Qatar and said they feel safe sounds bogus af. $150M will make you do and say anything.