Dr Nas Mohamed, the world’s only publicly LGBTQ Qatari, talks growing up in the host country of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where homosexuality is punishable by the death penalty under Sharia law
RAINBOW WORLD
I knew I was different at 11 but was raised Muslim in very rural Qatar — a village of 5,000 with no internet access and absolutely no LGBTQ visibility. I couldn’t even imagine dating or having sex. I heard awful stories about persecution when you even try to do that: undercover cops setting up hookups to arrest people, for example. When I was very young, I remember people being publicly lashed.
My life changed when I was selected to attend a high school for gifted students. I learned to speak English and got into an American medical school. I came to the main campus in the US periodically and learned a lot about myself.
Back in Qatar, I’d sometimes meet people you kind of knew were LGBTQ, but you just couldn’t talk about it. There were moments I almost got caught out. Any self-expression that isn’t mainstream or heteronormative — any accessorising! — invited questions. Then pressure to get married started. I initially used academia as an excuse, but knew it wasn’t sustainable. I had to leave.
At 24, I moved to the state of Connecticut in the United States after medical school to complete my training. I was granted political asylum because I’m gay in 2017.
I’m now 35 and work as a doctor offering HIV treatment and prevention services in San Francisco. I identify as LGBTQ. I date men, I’m non-binary and use he/him pronouns. I’ve experienced racism and homophobia here — it’s everywhere, even in a liberal oasis like San Francisco — but I’m happy and really fit in.
I was already out to people in my life here but came out publicly on BBC News this year. I’m now the world’s only publicly LGBTQ Qatari. Investigative journalists have confirmed it. I’m now connected with LGBTQ Qataris who aren’t publicly out, and I continue to hear awful stories of persecution.
I had to come out — in December, Qatar is hosting the World Cup. Having a very wealthy, authoritarian government like Qatar’s summon the world and tell it to go back in the closet should be protested [against]. They use religion and culture as an excuse to justify homophobia. T
