Virgin Atlantic said that it suspended its gender identity policy and instructed crew members flying the England team to the World Cup in Qatar to diss their gender-neutral duds and to dress in the uniforms appropriate for their biological gender.
Although the British footballer squad still flew to Doha aboard Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Gay Pride’ aircraft – the ‘Rain Bow’, an Airbus A350 bearing the image of a flying man in rainbow-colored sneakers holding a Union Jack, cabin crew crossdressing was not permitted, being reserved for the flights to “more accepting” countries, such as US, UK, and Israel, as “those countries are more accepting of non-binary identities,” the airline said.
“As part of our policy, we complete a risk assessment on all countries we fly to, considering laws and attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community and expressions of identity on a case-by-case basis,” Virgin Atlantic said in the statement.
“Following a risk assessment, it was recommended the policy was not applied on today’s charter flight to ensure the safety of our people.”
Homosexuality is outlawed in Qatar, and same-sex intercourse is punishable by up to 7 years in prison.
While Qatar has insisted that all fans would be welcomed to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 “without discrimination,” an ambassador for the tournament, former Qatari national player Khalid Salman, announced last week that he considered homosexuality a “damage in the mind” that causes “spiritual harm.”
The United Kingdom is not the only country bringing a pro-LGBT message to Qatar, with the United States modifying its national team’s crest to incorporate the colors of the ‘gay pride’ flag.