Naomi Campbell Defends Her Qatar Show After Facing Backlash From The LGBTQ+ Community

Naomi Campbell is facing backlash from gay rights campaigners for agreeing to host a glamorous “Emerge” event, set for Friday (Oct 28), which is being held at the Ceremonial Court in Doha, Qatar.

The supermodel, who has been passionate about LGBTQ+ rights, stands accused of helping to ‘launder the reputation’ of the authoritarian Gulf state where homosexuality is illegal. Ms. Campbell has also been called “inconsistent” with her support of the LGBTQ+ community, and campaigners have asked if she will “say something” about homosexuality being outlawed in Qatar, which is also controversially hosting the 2022 World Cup.

Now, according to Ace Showbiz, Ms. Campbell, through her representative, has hit back at the critics, saying:

“Naomi is famously supportive of the LGBTQ+ community, and she understands that being engaged in places like Qatar is an essential step towards positive change.”

“To suggest that her Emerge initiative is in any way an affront to the LGBTQ+ community shows a lack of understanding of who (she) is as a person and as a global citizen,” the rep told Mail Online on Thursday (Oct 27).

On Tuesday (Oct 25), the 52-year-old was spotted at a VIP dinner in Qatar’s Doha to mark the launch of the “Baghdad, Eye’s Delight” exhibition at the Museum of Islamic Art.

Miss Campbell was also pictured at the museum with US supermodel Bella Hadid, 26, who rocked a headscarf as part of a glamorous black and gold-buttoned suit.

Dr. Nas Mohamed, the first Qatari to publicly come out as gay, was quoted by Mail Online saying about Campbell’s involvement with Qatar, “Naomi is a global icon, but Qatar is trying to have it both ways, be it in fashion or sport, by presenting itself as modern, (while it is also) a closed non-inclusive country.”

“Qatar uses these platforms to launder its reputation. Is Naomi willing to say something when she’s (there) because the LGBT community is not OK?”

Peter Tatchell, a popular gay rights campaigner, who claimed he was detained by an official while protesting gay rights in Qatar, said, “Miss Campbell’s involvement is inconsistent, given the country’s appalling restrictions on women and the criminalization of LGBT.”

Miss Campbell’s event is being held to help launch her new global initiative “Emerge,” which says it aims to “empower the next generation of creative and business talent.” The supermodel had said, “If it wasn’t for gay men, I would not exist – I owe my life to gay men. It’s just what I have grown up with. It’s my family.”