Homophobia; The Hidden Face of St. Petersburg and This Magnificent Cup

Hospitality and readiness to host tens of thousands of football fans is one side of the coin of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The other side of this event flowed under the skin of St. Petersburg for a few days until it became public on Monday, and the world media reported on it: 'Homophobia.' The issue of gay rights is one of the sensitive topics in Russian society. Not only is there a long history of criminalizing homosexuality until 1993, but also much more recent laws and events have led gay rights advocates to critically follow the human rights developments in this vast country. Meanwhile, the rise of a series of far-right sentiments (homophobia, racism, and anti-women patriarchy) among football spectators in Russia has caused concerns to be voiced more than ever ahead of the World Cup. According to a report last month by the Fare (Football Against Racism in Europe), at least 12 incidents of anti-gay events have been reported in Russian football stadiums ahead of the World Cup. This organization had previously announced that anti-gay slurs among football spectators in Russia are on the rise, and they use terms like 'Gay' as insults. These factors led to the establishment of a non-governmental organization called 'Diversity House,' with the support of Fare and FIFA, to designate special places for gay fans and ethnic minorities (non-white) in some Russian cities to prevent football fans from facing harassment and harm. These places, named 'safe zones,' were located near other venues set up as 'fan fests' where all football matches are displayed on several large screens daily. Additionally, many services such as food sales, beer, t-shirts, and flags were planned within these special places. However, St. Petersburg, which has won the hearts of many football fans with its hospitality, showed its other face when it came to gay rights: the special viewing area for gay fans was not established from the first day, and as officials from 'Diversity House' revealed on Monday, the owner of the venue they had rented expelled them without any explanation. According to a statement released by Fare, they suspect that the decision to close this venue was a political decision imposed by higher authorities. FIFA also reacted quickly, stating that they would follow up on the matter with the authorities in St. Petersburg. Meanwhile, 'Diversity House' activists say they will try to find another location for this purpose. According to the ILGA (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) ranking, Russia ranks 45th out of 49 European countries in terms of respect for gay rights. Until 1999, homosexuality was officially considered a 'disease' in this country. Even now, according to human rights activists, controversial laws such as the ban on promoting homosexuality to children, passed in 2013, serve as an excuse to restrict this group. Based on this evidence, the likelihood of opening a place in St. Petersburg specifically for football-loving gays seems quite low. Hours after the news about the events in St. Petersburg was published, FIFA announced that it had begun investigations into the chants of Mexican fans. Some Mexican fans have been accused of shouting homophobic slogans during the match against Germany. This is not the first time that Mexican fans have been accused of shouting homophobic slogans. During the World Cup qualifiers, the Mexican team was fined 12 times for these chants, and the country's football federation repeatedly urged its fans not to repeat them. Gay rights advocates say that Mexicans shouted these same slogans during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but FIFA did not react at that time. Among South American teams, football fans in countries like Argentina and Chile also face criticism from gay rights advocacy groups. However, it seems that FIFA has decided to take a more serious stance against homophobia in football and will no longer ignore such chants, just as it does not tolerate racism under any circumstances. For this reason, in this tournament, three special observers and experts on discrimination issues will be present at each game to monitor the games and the behavior of football fans from this perspective.