Gay tennis players have been assured they’ll be ‘safe’ when the WTA Finals head to Saudi Arabia for the first time later this year, but that doesn’t mean much for the incredibly oppressed LGBT+ community already living there.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) boldly announced in April that they were taking their star-studded, prestigious Finals to Riyadh for 2024, 2025 and 2026 – a decision that has sparked controversy, debate and has divided many tennis fans.
Saudi Arabia’s influence on women’s tennis is only growing, too, with confirmation in May that the WTA had entered a ‘multi-year partnership’ with the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which will see the Saudis sponsor the world rankings.
It should be pointed out that tennis is not the first sport to succumb to the Saudi’s fortunes, nor will it be the last. Just look at the country’s influence on boxing, golf, F1, snooker and football. They are on a mission to improve their global image.
But women’s tennis going there is huge. The WTA has a proud history of openly gay players, from Billie Jean King to Martina Navratilova. A highly progressive sporting body is moving their Finals to a nation where homosexuality is illegal.
Of course, there are wider issues that go beyond the LGBT+ community. Women are treated poorly in Saudi Arabia and the country has a horrific human rights record. But with it being Pride Month, LGBT+ issues are under the spotlight.
What are the WTA Finals?
The WTA Finals are the lucrative, season-ending finale to the women’s tennis season. It sees the top eight singles players and doubles teams battle each other, with huge prize money and ranking points up for grabs.
Saudi Arabia’s rich tennis federation and the country’s sports ministry will award £12m at the WTA Finals in 2024 – which is around £5m more than in 2023 when it was held in Cancun, Mexico – with further increases until 2026.
The 2024 WTA Finals get underway on November 2 with the event concluding on November 9.
What are LGBT+ rights like in Saudi Arabia?
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) people in Saudi Arabia suffer from discrimination and repression on a huge scale. There are no protections for LGBT+ rights and homosexual activity is still very much illegal in the country.
The law allows penalties for acts of homosexuality – including capital punishment, prison sentences of indeterminate length, fines and flogging. There have been reports of beatings and torture for jailed LGBT+ people within the country.
The Saudi Tourism Authority updated its FAQ page in May 2023 to say that LGBT+ foreigners were welcome to visit and that enforcement of the laws against homosexuality are not ‘universal’. It came after a series of other social changes.
Saudi Tennis Federation refuses to comment
Metro.co.uk contacted the Saudi Tennis Federation in May but they were unwilling to provide an interview.
Will LGBT+ players be safe in Riyadh?
Daria Kasatkina and Demi Schuurs are two openly gay tennis players who could feature at the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh, in singles and doubles respectively.
Kasatkina is currently ranked world No.13 in singles while Schuurs is world No.13 in doubles with both women needing to climb inside the top eight to qualify.
‘We do have assurances that everyone’s going to be welcome at the Finals and I don’t anticipate anything more than positive experiences,’ WTA Tour chief executive Steve Simon said.
‘We have assurances that everybody is welcome in the country to come and compete and work and do what needs to be done. They don’t judge anyone coming in.
‘We’ve checked with past events that have happened within the region, such as other athletes that have been there, and they’ve only had positive experiences.’
How about gay officials, volunteers and fans?
James Swanson, the chair of Pride in Tennis, has urged the WTA to ensure that safety is assured for not only players but across all areas of the sport.
‘We’re aware of what the WTA have said in relation to safety for players,’ he told Metro.co.uk. ‘But we need to consider the safety of volunteers, officials, people working at the tournament and fans. We need to ensure that safety is holistically driven across all parts of the game.’
How does Saudi Arabia punish homosexuality?
Human Dignity Trust, a charity that focuses on strategic litigation challenging the criminalisation of homosexuality, has provided a number of recent examples of punishments that LGBT+ people have faced in Saudi Arabia.
August 2023 – The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice arrested a young man perceived as homosexual for ‘exposing himself to indecency on Twitter’.
October 2022 – Gay social media personality Suhail al-Jameel was released from prison after being detained for three years on public decency charges for posting a picture of himself on Twitter shirtless and wearing swim shorts.
June 2022 – Commerce Ministry officials seized rainbow-coloured toys and children’s clothing from shops in Riyadh and claimed that the items ‘contradict the Islamic faith and public morals and promote homosexual colours targeting the younger generation’.
April 2020 – A Yemeni blogger living in Saudi Arabia was arrested for advocating for equality for LGBT+ people. In July, he was sentenced to ten months’ imprisonment and a fine, followed by deportation, under ‘public indecency’ laws. While in detention he was subjected to solitary confinement, beatings, and torture.
This stance was echoed by Jon Holmes, founder and lead of Sports Media LGBT+, who believes the spotlight should be away from the players.
‘They (gay players) will be affected by concerns over safety but also concerns for people in the LGBT+ community who happen to live in Saudi Arabia,’ he added. ‘Their experiences and contact with something like this is often overlooked.
‘For example, when the announcement was made, players were assured that if they are in same-sex relationships, they can share a hotel room in Saudi Arabia.
‘Daria Kasatkina has played the WTA Finals before. Demi Schuurs in doubles played last year. These kind of concerns are there for players – and it was voiced by the player council – but how can there be one rule for foreigners coming to a country like Saudi Arabia and a different rule to those who live in the country?’
How do gay players feel about the Saudi Finals?
British tennis player Tara Moore, a lesbian who reached the second round of Wimbledon in 2016, is keen to stress that there are plenty of positives to consider with taking the WTA Finals to Saudi Arabia.
‘For me, it doesn’t really affect me directly,’ she told Metro.co.uk. ‘I looked at it and I thought… I saw they made the decision to put the tournament in a country where it doesn’t have the best views on openly gay people.
‘I did question it a little bit. But at the same time, if they are guaranteeing people’s safety, guaranteeing you can be yourself, and Daria Kasatkina is more than happy to go and play if she makes it… as long as safety is guaranteed.
‘You can put loads of negative spins on it but at the same time, it can be a positive thing. Bringing that kind of exposure for the LGBT+ community to a country where it isn’t really ever spoken about.
‘There are positives to be taken from it. It’s important to bring a different view to a country that really hasn’t been exposed to that type of community.
‘I think, you know, having travelled to the Middle East before, it is something that you don’t speak about.
‘You can stay with your partner or whoever you’re with, you check in and you just have to… I don’t know, I think maybe being gay for so long, you just kind of get used to what people are comfortable with and what people aren’t.
‘I know that’s not right. You have to conform to other people’s standards. But it is a culture. It is their culture. As long as the WTA can guarantee safety, gay players can share rooms, I feel that is a step in the right direction.
‘I don’t think that would’ve happened a couple years ago. I actually think overall it can be quite a positive step.’
Tara Moore’s advice to closeted players
Away from the WTA Finals for a second, Tara Moore has sent a Pride Month message to any tennis players who may be thinking of coming out.
‘All in all, especially in the women’s tennis scene, everyone has been really open,’ she said. ‘If you are open and honest with yourself, and you’re comfortable in your own skin, then people tend to be comfortable with you too.
‘The more you try and hide it and shield yourself off… my thing was always having people to talk to. That was really important. A lot of people don’t feel like they have a safe space.
‘If that’s the case, people are a lot more accepting than you’d think. I think a lot of people just want you to be happy. So it’s always better to speak out and your true friends and true loved ones will support you.’
Is there anything LGBT+ players can do?
Players are largely powerless to stopping the WTA Finals going to Saudi Arabia, but gay stars have a potential opportunity to put the spotlight on LGBT+ issues.
‘The decision has been taken out of their hands, in regards to the tournament being placed there,’ Pride in Tennis chair Swanson said.
‘It’s their job. To be present at a tournament like that is something that is a great honour and something they work towards. For us, we would urge them to take the opportunity to engage with organisers at a grassroots level and also the WTA to raise awareness of a myriad of issues that they’d be connected to.
‘It’s not my place to speak on their behalf but they do have a platform, they do have a voice. They need to do their upmost to communicate on those but it must be very challenging.
‘I’m never going to tell a member of our community that they have to use their platform to change the world. They’re trying to play sport at a world-class level so having to take this on too is a lot. At the end of the day it’s not their decision [to play there].
‘But they should do what they can to express what they need to… to the organisers at the WTA or other stakeholders involved in the delivery of the event… to make sure, in the best way that they can, that it is communicated and people are not speaking on their behalf.
‘You have to be very wary to ask players to do things. I don’t want to put anyone in a space where they do not feel safe. It depends with each individual person if they want to be bolder or louder. There is no right decision on that.’
What is Pride in Tennis?
Chair James Swanson, in his own words: ‘Pride in Tennis is the national network from an LGBT+ standpoint for Great Britain. Our vision is to make tennis an environment which is safe and inclusive for LGBT+ people to be able to exist as their authentic self with confidence and without prejudice.
‘The spaces we look to support cover participation, providing support for LGBT+ players, coaches, officials and fans. We look at education with the LTA to ensure the right resources are given to coaches from an LGBT+ perspective.
‘We promote visibility for the community at national level and grassroots level. We are helping to open tennis up by breaking down barriers and tackling biases and stereotypes.’
‘Daria is outspoken but Demi is more reserved’
British tennis star Moore says gay tennis players Kasatkina and Schuurs have very different personalities, which may impact how comfortable they feel speaking out about LGBT+ issues in Saudi Arabia.
‘Daria has always been more outspoken, Demi has always been more reserved,’ she said. ‘It’s dependent on the personality of the person and what they are comfortable with.
‘I’d never force someone to speak out or say, “Hey, you’re missing out on a great opportunity” – it’s just what you are comfortable with. As a tennis player, you are there to do a job. You are getting paid and you are working. I’d never expect someone to speak out if they were not comfortable doing so.’
‘Let’s put the focus where it needs to be’
Sports Media LGBT+ lead Holmes feels there are a number of ways Kasatkina and Schuurs can help to advance gay rights in Saudi Arabia.
‘They can centre it around LGBT+ people who live in Saudi and the wider region within anything they are advocating for, where that is speaking about the issue, putting something on social media or talking to the WTA about how it might advocate around Pride Month,’ he added.
‘I am sure the WTA will want to do that. They have done that in previous years. There’s always an anti-discrimination cause, which I think any kind of sports governing body will want to relay messages around. Particularly in women’s tennis where players get so much online abuse.
‘In any of these kind of conversations, I think the context of it should be about the potential impact on queer people in Saudi Arabia, the wider community who don’t have a voice, live in incredibly repressive conditions and their cyber activity is monitored like you wouldn’t believe.
‘Rather than a gay player saying, “This is bad for me, I’m worried about it” – let’s be honest, they’re making concessions, they’re letting you share a hotel room with your partner. There is one rule for players and another for those who live there.
‘Let’s put the focus where it needs to be. Saudi Arabia have said everyone is welcome but you have to have some movement towards human rights.
‘If you look at the details, it only appears to be moving backwards when it comes to repression, capital punishment and all these horrendous parts of their culture. I think the focus should not be on multi-millionaire players.’
What is Sports Media LGBT+?
Founder and lead Jon Holmes, in his own words: ‘Sports Media LGBT+ is a network group for people in our industry who are part of the community and allies as well. Part of what we do is create content and help people to create better content about LGBT+ people in sport.
‘There’s lots of different strands to it. We’ve produced resources for journalists to help them tackle what can be a thorny issue for some people. They’re often quite scared of getting it wrong, so they just don’t go there, and then that affects our community as we don’t get represented.’
Get involved with tennis during Pride Month
The Lawn Tennis Association have once again teamed up with Pride in Tennis to bring back their popular Friday Pride Days for June 2024. Head to their respective websites for more information.
‘We have been working with the LTA for the last two years and we want to highlight the great work that has been done in collaboration with them in regards to promoting LGBT+ awareness and visibility,’ Pride in Tennis chair Swanson said.
‘The creation of our Friday Pride Day initiative across the grass-court series in June in the lead up to Wimbledon. It’s been an amazing initiative. It continues to grow year-on-year.’
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