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Seattle is hosting its fourth World Cup match today. As part of June's Pride Month celebrations, local organizers have designated it the Pride Match to celebrate the LGBTQ community. But the match is between Egypt and Iran, two countries where people can face criminal punishment for homosexuality. Casey Martin from KUOW in Seattle talked to some soccer fans who planned to show up with pride and a bit of protest.
CASEY MARTIN, BYLINE: In case you were wondering what it's like to run a sports bar in a city hosting the World Cup, Jen Barnes says...
JEN BARNES: Very, very, very busy.
MARTIN: So packed, in fact, we had to stand on the street outside to talk. Barnes runs Rough & Tumble in Seattle, a bar dedicated to women's sports on all the big screens. And this month, it's all about Pride. Rainbow and trans pride flags hang from the ceiling. Though, in a bar like this, in a city like this, Barnes says those flags are up all year round.
BARNES: It is reflective of not just what we want our city to be, but also who we are.
MARTIN: Seattle is buzzing right now with festivities from Pride Month and the World Cup. Those will combine Friday for what local organizers are calling the Pride Match. There will be commemorative scarves and posters designed by local queer artists available at the stadium where the game is played and also online. And some pre-existing Pride events have been combined with watch parties around the city. The one hiccup is that the two governments of the countries playing on Friday might not love all the rainbow flags in Seattle this month. Both Egypt and Iran have laws that criminally punish homosexuality. Now queer soccer fans in Seattle say they're ready to show up outside the stadium and be loud and proud about their identity.
NICK NOWICKI: We're not going to be in the game. Those tickets are crazy-a** expensive, but we will be around the stadium participating.
MARTIN: Nick Nowicki was at the bar with some friends a few days before the Pride Match.
NOWICKI: Seattle is going to come out surrounding the stadium. It's important for the country to see that and to bring back some of the - like, the protest nature behind Pride.
MARTIN: The idea to designate Friday as the Pride Match came from the local organizing group in Seattle, not FIFA. That decision was made before Iran and Egypt were chosen to play the game, and FIFA says the countries were chosen at random. When the governments of Iran and Egypt heard about it last year, they both protested. But FIFA says it's a host city decision. Pride flags and signs will be allowed into the stadium, as long as they meet the size requirements. Some queer soccer fans say it's tricky to know how to feel about the game. Chris Backous says he doesn't blame the soccer team for their government's policies.
CHRIS BACKOUS: I hope we welcome the teams to the field so that we don't do what has been done to us in their countries, where we're saying you don't belong here.
MARTIN: He says the point of Pride is inclusion.
BACKOUS: You belong here because soccer, it only needs a ball. Everyone is welcome on the field.
MARTIN: When people from all over the world tune in to watch on Friday, they won't just be seeing Seattle's skyline and stadiums, Backous says. They'll see what the city really values.
BACKOUS: We're not a marginal part of the community. We are the community. We are integrated into the fabric of Seattle.
MARTIN: Bar owner Jen Barnes says she expects Pride to be on full display on Friday. That maybe could send a message to Egypt and Iran.
BARNES: Rainbow outfits and flags and hats and joy, and that every single one of the individuals who's watching feels safe and celebrated.
MARTIN: Friday's match in Seattle kicks off at 8:00 p.m. local time. For NPR News, I'm Casey Martin in Seattle.
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