The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games aren’t shying away from member nations’ human rights records, with a special exhibition highlighting those Commonwealth countries that still criminalise homosexuality taking place throughout the international sporting competition.
“Zero Flags Commonwealth” is a special presentation by the international Zero Flags Project created specially for the Glasgow Games in Scotland as part of Pride House Glasgow 2026 and has been installed in Candleriggs in the Glasgow city centre.
The free public exhibition features the 28 flags of those Commonwealth countries, with each bearing a black ribbon of mourning.
Still illegal in half the Commonwealth
Making up half of the Commonwealth of Nations, these include Bangladesh, Brunei, Cameroon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malaysia, the Maldives, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tonga.
Penalties across these countries range widely from the death penalty to prison terms or fines, while others maintain laws on their books that are rarely or no longer enforced but by doing so continue to stigmatise and silence their LGBTQIA+ citizens.
“Visitors are invited to explore the historical relationship between the British Empire, colonial criminal laws and their continuing impact across many Commonwealth countries today, while also recognising the significant progress being achieved through advocacy, legal reform and community activism,” organisers explain.
View this post on Instagram
“Zero Flags Commonwealth … challenges us to confront difficult questions about history, equality and human rights, while inspiring hope through the stories of campaigners, organisations and communities working to create positive change across the Commonwealth.
“Zero Flags Commonwealth demonstrates how major international sporting events can provide a platform not only for bringing people together, but also for encouraging dialogue, understanding and social progress.”
Pride House Glasgow is organised by LEAP Sports Scotland and its executive director Hugh Torrance told The National that “this is an exhibition that should ultimately cease to exist.”
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, at a future Commonwealth Games, there were no flags left to display?,” he said.
The Glasgow Pride House in 2026
In 2014 Glasgow hosted the first ever Pride House during a Commonwealth Games and this year the event is being spread over several venues across the city’s Merchant City district, with a lounge bar at Woodys and a Pride House Reading Room at Bigglestones Books.
Phil Batty, CEO of Glasgow 2026 said, “As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, I know what it means to feel welcomed to this city; to be accepted and to be able to be your true self.”
“For far too many people across the world, those freedoms cannot be taken for granted.
“That is why we are so proud that Glasgow 2026 has helped create a space and a platform for this conversation, and why I am grateful to all those who has made this powerful installation possible.”
For the latest LGBTQIA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, and community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
