French minister says she wore rainbow-sleeved sweater in Qatar to … – The Times of Israel

France’s Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera says she wore a sweater with rainbow-colored sleeves to France’s World Cup quarterfinal in Qatar on Saturday in a message of support for gay rights.

Oudea-Castera, a former professional tennis player, watched the game from the VIP box as France beat England 2-1 to move a step closer to successfully defending its title.

The rights of the LGBTQ+ community and the use of the rainbow symbol have been a recurrent point of discussion at the World Cup in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.

“It was important to express my support for human rights on the whole, notably LGBT rights… and to do it in an unaggressive way with regards to Qatar, which is our partner,” she tells Franceinfo radio.