The Last Leg host ‘sorry’ for song about LGBTQ+ ‘heads on a spike’ in Qatar
The parody song was set to the tune of Frank Skinner’s “Three Lions”. (Channel 4)
The Last Leg‘s Adam Hills has apologised after a “misjudged” World Cup anthem with lyrics referencing LGBTQ+ people being jailed and killed in Qatar sparked a backlash among viewers.
The satirical song set to Frank Skinner’s “Three Lions” was featured on Friday’s (18 November) episode, featuring rewritten words blasting World Cup host Qatar as being “homophobic”.
Viewers, however, were horrified by the line: “In Qatar, if Alan Carr toured and was joined by Boy George and then even RuPaul, they could end up three heads on a spike”, for its “graphic descriptions of violence against queer people”.
“Straight people, what the f**k is wrong with your lot?” One Twitter user said.
“In what world is joking about ‘three heads on a spike’ funny when LGBT people in Qatar are thrown in prison or sentenced to death?”
‘I’m sorry’
One viewer pointed out that the violent lyrics were inappropriate given the recent horrific shooting of LGBTQ+ venue Club Q in Colorado, in which five people were killed and more than 25 people injured.
While host Adam Hills did not apologise for or reference the actual content of the song, he did clarify that the song was aired “before the horrific shooting”.
“I’m sorry. This song was intended to be a protest at the World Cup being held in Qatar where it is illegal to be gay,” he wrote.
“It was filmed and aired before the horrific shooting in America.”
I’m sorry. This song was intended to be a protest at the World Cup being held in Qatar where it is illegal to be gay. It was filmed and aired before the horrific shooting in America.
— Adam Hills (@adamhillscomedy) November 23, 2022
LGBTQ+ people in Qatar can be jailed for up to seven years if convicted of having sex, and under Sharia law, homosexuality is punishable by the death penalty.
A recent survey showed that a huge 62 per cent of British people of mixed ages, genders and political beliefs believe Qatar’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights should have prevented it from hosting the FIFA World Cup.
While LGBTQ+ visitors going to Qatar for the World Cup have previously been assured that they can “hold hands” and bring Pride flags into stadiums, recent reports have found that football fans are being asked to remove rainbow clothing before attending matches.
According to ITV News, former Wales captain Laura McAllister was asked to “take her rainbow hat off” – which was designed by LGBTQ+ football organisation The Rainbow Wall – before entering the World Cup stadium.
“I pointed out that FIFA had made lots of comments about supporting LGBT rights in this tournament, and said to them that coming from a nation where we’re very passionate about equality for all people, I wasn’t going to take my hat off,” McAllister told the outlet.
“They were insistent that unless I took the hat off we weren’t actually allowed to come into the stadium.
“Coming from a nation like Wales, we were very keen that we still took a stand coming here.”
