Comm Games organisers under fire over gay rights protest
Commonwealth Games bosses are drawing heavy criticism over a display of flags exposing countries where homosexuality is illegal, with one member of Scotland’s parliament labelling it a “public shaming” and “insulting”.
Event organisers have set up a line of national flags inside the Games’ LGBTIQ+ space, each of which have a black ribbon attached to symbolise mourning.
The flags in Glasgow. X.
The installation highlights that homosexuality remains criminalised in half of the Commonwealth’s 56 member states.
“To every athlete and spectator arriving in Glasgow, our message is simple: you are welcome here, you belong here,” Glasgow 2026 chief executive Phil Batty said ahead of the Games, beginning on Friday (Australian time).
Hugh Torrance, a key man in the exhibition, said: “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, at a future Commonwealth Games, there were no flags left to display?”
However, Scotland member of parliament Thomas Kerr blasted the move as a “public shaming”.
“This is exactly the sort of virtue-signalling that turns people off,” Kerr said.
“Commonwealth Games should be about sport, friendship and bringing nations together, not using international guests as props in a political campaign.
“Nobody is questioning that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, but draping the flags of visiting nations in mourning ribbons before they’ve even arrived sends entirely the wrong message and risks insulting the very people Glasgow is supposed to be welcoming.
“Glaswegians deserve Games that showcase our city at its best. Instead, the organisers seem more interested in making political statements than delivering a world-class sporting event.”
Fellow politician Meghan Gallacher labelled it a “performative stunt”.
“Eyebrows will be raised that the organisers of these Games feel it is appropriate to hark back to arguments of the past, rather than focusing on putting on a Games that highlights the best of Glasgow to the world,” Gallacher said.
“Many countries arriving in Glasgow this week will also wonder why they will be greeted by this out-of-touch exhibition and its clear political undertones.”
A general view of Glasgow ahead of the Commonwealth Games. Getty
Set out alongside the flags will be information panels and QR codes, which will give details about the laws facing the LGBTIQ+ community in those countries.
The exhibition is part of the Zero Flags Project, which exposes the 63 countries that have anti-gay laws.
