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Tag: LGBT rights

  • World Cup 2022: American sports journalist Grant Wahl passes away in Qatar

    While covering the World Cup in Qatar, a well-known football journalist from the United States passed away.

    As extra time in the Friday night match between Argentina and the Netherlands began, Grant Wahl, 48, passed out.

    Although it hasn’t been officially confirmed, initial reports indicate he may have suffered a heart attack.

    When Mr. Wahl attempted to enter a stadium last month while wearing a rainbow-colored shirt in support of LGBT rights, Qatari authorities temporarily held him.

    In a statement, the US Soccer Federation said it was “heartbroken” by the news.

    “Fans of soccer and journalism of the highest quality knew we could always count on Grant to deliver insightful and entertaining stories about our game, and its major protagonists,” it said.

    In a tweet, Mr Wahl’s wife, Céline Gounder, said she was in “complete shock”, adding that she was “so thankful” for the support she had received from friends.

    Mr Wahl celebrated his 48th birthday on Thursday with friends in Qatar, a day before he collapsed. He wrote on his website on Monday that he had been unwell in the last 10 days and was on a course of antibiotics for suspected bronchitis.

    “My body finally broke down on me,” he wrote. “What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort.

    “I didn’t have Covid (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic and the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis.”

    FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Mr Wahl’s love for football was “immense”, adding that his reporting would be “missed by all who follow the global game”.

    Tributes have poured in from several UK journalists. Piers Morgan described Mr Wahl as a “brilliant journalist”, while the Times’ Henry Winter said he was a “fine man” and “giant of the press box”.

    BBC Sport’s Dan Roan tweeted: “Grant Wahl was a renowned and hugely respected journalist and the flood of tributes is a testament to the esteem in which he was held.”

    Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber tweeted: “We are shocked, saddened, and heartbroken over the tragic passing of Grant Wahl. He was a kind and caring person whose passion for soccer and dedication to journalism were immeasurable.”

    US tennis icon Billie Jean King also paid tribute to Mr Wahl, describing him as an “advocate for the LGBTQ community and a prominent voice for women’s soccer”.

    A spokesperson for the Qatari body responsible for planning the World Cup, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, said: “We are deeply saddened by the death of the US journalist Grant Wahl.

    “Grant was known for his enormous love of football and was in Qatar to cover his eighth Fifa World Cup.

    “He fell ill in the Lusail Stadium media tribune, during last night’s quarter-final match between Argentina v Netherlands. He received immediate emergency medical treatment on site, which continued as he was transferred by ambulance to Hamad General Hospital.

    “We are in touch with the US Embassy and relevant local authorities to ensure the process of repatriating the body is in accordance with the family’s wishes.”

    Earlier this week, Mr Wahl was presented with an award by Brazilian football legend Ronaldo for reporting on eight consecutive World Cups – his first was in the US in 1994.

     

  • Danish reporter ordered to remove OneLove armband

    A Danish reporter refused to remove his OneLove armband when ordered to do so by a Qatari official.

    John Pagh was doing a piece to camera when a man in uniform told him to take off the LGBT rights symbol.

    But Pagh, a journalist for TV2, stood his ground and refused to remove the armband.

    The officials could be heard telling the Dane in English that the symbol was “not allowed”.

    When Pagh asked if it would be okay if he held it in his hand because he needed to show the armband in his TV piece, the man repeated that it was “not allowed”.

    Pagh said: “I respect that you’re telling me that, but I can’t take it off. Is it because of the colours?”

    The official confirmed that it was due to the rainbow colours on the armband and again asked Pagh to take it off.

    He refused again and then the official appeared to walk off and leave the journalist alone.

    Source: Skynews.com 

     

     

  • Slovakia LGBT attack: Thousands assemble out for a vigil outside Bratislava club

    Thousands of people attended a vigil in Slovakia on Friday to remember two persons who were assassinated outside a gay bar.

    On Wednesday, the men were shot dead in the city of Bratislava in what appears to be a hate crime.

    According to organisers, 20,000 people attended the vigil to mourn the men’s deaths and demand action on LGBT rights.

    Slovak President Zuzana Caputova, who has raised the rainbow flag over her office, spoke at the event.

    “I’m sorry that our society was not able to protect your loved ones,” she said.

    “You belong here, you are valuable to our society.”

    Prime Minister Eduard Heger was also at the vigil, organised by the Inakosť (Otherness) Institute, an LGBT advocacy group.

    Slovakia’s National Crime Agency has classified the shootings as premeditated murder, motivated by hatred of a sexual minority.

    It has sparked calls for more protection of LGBT people in Slovakia, a relatively conservative EU country where same-sex marriage is not legal.

    The BBC’s Rob Cameron, in neighbouring Czech Republic, said some Slovakians were angry at what they see as hypocrisy from politicians.

    While the prime minister held a rainbow flag at the rally, in June an MP from his party called – unsuccessfully – for a ban of the flag on public buildings.

    European Parliament Vice-President Michal Simecka, who was also at Friday’s event, said he wanted the European legislature to discuss the murders at a session next week.

    “To express our sympathy, but also to call on the Slovak authorities to take clear steps to put an end to the language of hatred towards LGBTI people,” he said.

    The two men were killed outside Bratislava’s Teplaren bar close to the city center on Wednesday evening. Another woman was injured and is now in stable condition in the hospital.

    After a brief manhunt, police found the body of the 19-year-old gunman, who is believed to have shot himself, on Thursday morning.

    He was identified as Juraj Krajcik, the son of a former far-right politician.

    Just before the killings, he had posted an anti-LGBT and anti-Semitic manifesto on Twitter, warning that he would carry them out. He later also claimed responsibility.

    A woman lights a candle

     

  • Diane Abbott calls on Labour to stop taking black vote for granted

    Diane Abbott has called for Labour to “stop taking the black vote for granted”.

    Writing for The Independent, Ms Abbott highlighted how she was a member of the first cohort of black MPs in the House of Commons.

    But instead of welcoming her, the Labour Party were “embarrassed”, she writes.

    Ms Abbott, who was shadow home secretary under Jeremy Corbyn, said: “We were associated with the ‘loony left’ and the party was anxious to keep us at arm’s length.

    “Us so-called ‘loonies’ were described in this way because we campaigned on race, equality for women and LGBT+ rights.

    “Nowadays, these issues are mainstream.”

    Ms Abbott goes on to criticise the Labour Party for messages highlighted in the Forde report, which included “expressions of visceral disgust, drawing (consciously or otherwise) on racist tropes, and they bear little resemblance to the criticisms of white male MPs elsewhere”.

    She says she has not received an apology from Sir Keir Starmer following the report.

    Ms Abbott goes on: “The Tories have seven black and brown cabinet ministers, and there is not a single white man in one of the great offices of state.

    “An older generation of black and brown voters gave the Labour Party undying support. Younger people see it differently.

    “The Labour Party should stop taking the black vote for granted and thinking that the answer to institutional racism is to revisit the race relations quangos of the 1970s.

    “Black people are tired of warm words. They want respect and practical action.”

  • Meloni government could mean more EU division

    Two of the first congratulatory messages to Giorgia Meloni, within the EU, have come from Hungary and Poland.

    That’s no coincidence. Warsaw and Budapest both have conservative nationalist governments who rail against EU overreach and have been at odds with Brussels on issues including LGBT rights.

    But it’s a little more complicated than saying the three nations might sit as some kind of united trio around the European Council table.

    Poland and Hungary are deeply split on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Warsaw has been hard-line on sanctions against the Kremlin whereas Budapest has been seen, increasingly, as a barrier.

    Giorgia Meloni has stressed her support for Ukraine but it’s an approach that, it’s feared, won’t be fully backed by her right-wing allies.

    What is certain is that a new Meloni government could mean more EU division given its predecessor was the Brussels-favoured technocrat, Mario Draghi.

    DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana

    Source: bbc.com