Gay rights groups target World Cup for spotlight

RIO DE JANEIRO: Gay rights activists in Brazil are using the spotlight of the World Cup to draw attention to the harsh penalties gay people face in many of the countries represented at soccer’s premier event.

This week’s first round featured a match between Iran, whose former president claimed gays don’t exist, and Nigeria, where the penalty for gay sex ranges from imprisonment to death by stoning. At a city square near the match in Curitiba, a protest led by the gay rights organisation Grupo Dignidade attracted about 400 people, many brandishing signs reading “Show homophobia the red card” and “In this World Cup, homophobia is out of bounds”.