PLAYING WITH PRIDE?

All Premier League matches between February 6 and February 12 will be dedicated to With Pride, aligning with LGBT+ History Month. This period provides an opportunity to highlight and celebrate the LGBT+ community in football, showcasing the work undertaken to make the game more inclusive.

Manchester City and Newcastle United are owned by the UAE and Saudi Arabian states which both discriminate against the LGBT+ communities in those countries. 

Homosexuality is illegal in the United Arab Emirates under federal law, with same-sex acts strictly prohibited and punishable by imprisonment or potentially the death penalty. LGBTQ+ individuals face severe discrimination, no legal recognition of relationships, and no protection against discrimination.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in Saudi Arabia face repression and discrimination. Both male and female same-sex behavior is punishable by death within the country. Therefore, there are no protections for LGBTQ people in Saudi Arabia.

As far as we know Manchester City’s LGBTQ+ group, the Canal Street Blues have never addressed the discrimination against gay people in the UAE practiced by the owners of their club.  

At the time of the takeover of Newcastle United by the Saudi state, United with Pride, the club’s LGBT+ group faced criticism from fans and organisations for their stance - “United with Pride claim that since the takeover of Newcastle United led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), they have received constant criticism from those who say the group should do more regarding the kingdom’s human rights issues.” United with Pride broke with Pride in Football over the issue.

United with Pride, which has continued to work in partnership with Newcastle United, faced backlash after publishing a statement regarding the takeover, which claimed working with the club’s new owners could be “a positive influence to improving the conditions for the LGBTQ+ community in Saudi Arabia”. This has patently failed to happen and their stance needs to be revisited.

NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing have periodically asked United With Pride to show some solidarity with the Saudi LGBT+ community who are persecuted so horribly by the owners of our club.  We have consistently been told by activists that this small act from football fans could have a real impact.

After reading the powerful statement below by Saudi gay activist Wajeed Lion we would hope that United With Pride and other Newcastle United fans might reconsider their position and agree to show some solidarity with Wajeeh and the Saudi LGBT+ community who face horrendous discrimination at the hands of the owners of Newcastle United, during the Premier League ‘With Pride’ Month. Wajeeh previously appealed to Newcastle fans to show some solidarity with the Saudi LGBT+ community. 

Written by Wajeeh Lion - A Saudi Gay Rights Activist 

My name is Wajeeh Lion. To the world, I am an activist. To the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I am a criminal simply for existing. As the first openly queer man from Saudi Arabia, I carry a target on my back that never truly goes away.

I am writing this because I see a disturbing trend in the West. I see fans cheering for goals, wearing jerseys, and celebrating "club takeovers" without realizing exactly who they are welcoming into their cities. You call it "new ownership." I call it a regime that tried to hunt me down on American soil.


The Reality Behind the Money

In 2016, I was a student at Kansas State University. I had a plan: get my degree, achieve financial independence, and eventually live my truth. But one mistake—logging into Facebook on my mother’s laptop—shattered that plan. She read my private messages. She saw who I really was.

I was summoned to the basement of our house in the US. It wasn't a conversation; it was an interrogation. When I refused to deny my identity, asking them, "What if I was gay?", the trap snapped shut. They confiscated my phone and replaced it with one rigged with a tracker. They were preparing to ship me back to Saudi Arabia for "conversion therapy"—a sanitized term for torture, psychological abuse, and often, death.

I only survived because I had prepared for war. I had built a network, including former Kansas Governor John Carlin and a legal team in DC. When I realized the walls were closing in, I didn't just run; I had to be extracted. My lawyers and the Kansas City Anti-Violence Project executed an emergency exit strategy, moving me to a safe house while my own family hunted me.


Above the Law

This is not just a family dispute; it is state policy. I know this because I have looked the regime in the eye.

During my time as a student leader, I met Faisal Alshammeri, a liaison for the Saudi government. In a moment of arrogant candor, he bragged to me about the reach of the Saudi state. He detailed how, since the days of Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the government has used diplomatic immunity and chartered planes to smuggle Saudis who commit heinous crimes—drug trafficking, human trafficking, even murder—out of the US.

He admitted that they break American laws to ensure their citizens avoid American justice. They use these same resources to kidnap dissidents and "disappear" them into political prisons. I am not a unique case; I am just one of the lucky few who got away. Others, like the queer influencer Suhail Yousif Alyahya, have simply vanished into the Saudi prison system.


The Newcastle Hypocrisy

Now, the same government that funds these kidnappings and executions is buying up your sports teams. They are buying golf leagues, boxing matches, and football clubs like Newcastle United. They are spending billions to "sportswash" their reputation—using the passion of fans to distract the world from their crimes.

The "United with Pride" group at Newcastle United will be celebrating Pride month. They will wave rainbow flags in the stadium. Yet, this same group has refused to show meaningful solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community in Saudi Arabia.

There is a sickening irony here. You are celebrating Pride at a club owned by a regime that punishes homosexuality with death. You are enjoying the "glory" of a cup winning team while the owners of that team are erasing people like me.


A Call to the Fans

Saudi Arabia is currently trying to market itself as a luxury vacation destination for Westerners. They want your tourism dollars. They want your applause. But remember this: if you visit Saudi Arabia and you are like me, you are not a guest. You are a target. There are no constitutional rights to protect you there.

The "pink-washing" and "white-washing" are working. Fans are defending a dictatorship because it bought them a little success. But we must draw a line.

It is important that we put the spotlight on members of the LGBT community who are willing to step on the necks of other queer people just so they can enjoy a football match. To the fans of Newcastle and beyond: If you truly care about human rights, you cannot pick and choose when they apply. You cannot wave a Pride flag with one hand and high-five my executioner with the other.

Do not let them buy your silence. Solidarity isn't solidarity if it stops at the stadium gates.

Would you like to support us? All funds will go towards the campaign.

 Follow us on Social Media