Welsh sports presenter Beth Fisher says she doesn't even want to watch the World Cup because of Qatar's stance on homosexuality and LGBT+ rights.
Fisher, who regularly presents and reports for BBC Wales, believes the decision to host the tournament in the country is "a nightmare" for many people. The former Wales hockey player, who is openly gay and an ambassador for several LGBT+ groups, said LGBT+ journalists are "really torn" over the World Cup.
Speaking on The Media Show on BBC Radio 4, she said: "For all of us, there’s a huge, dark cloud over this tournament. Look at me in Wales - it’s the first time we’ve qualified in 64 years… to be honest I feel completely down about it. I should be up in the air celebrating. I wasted too many years in the closet lying to people to then be basically gaslighted by Fifa and others into thinking this World Cup is for everyone. It is absolutely not. I think it’s a huge slap in the face to the people in Qatar who are part of that [LGBT] community who risk their life by even coming out and being their authentic selves, and for me, that is an absolute travesty."
