The Alwan Foundation
Proud Maroons – Human Rights Campaign
I built the participation strategy behind Proud Maroons, transforming LGBTQ+ football supporters into a global movement for visibility and human rights advocacy.
Challenge
During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, global attention turned toward Qatar despite the country's criminalization and persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals. While billions watched the tournament, local LGBTQ+ communities remained forced into silence.
Solution
To expose that contradiction, we created Qatar's first LGBTQ+ national football supporters group: Proud Maroons, named after the national team's nickname, "The Maroons." Because LGBTQ+ Qataris could not safely support the group publicly, we invited the global LGBTQ+ community and allies to become its supporters instead.
Approach
We built Proud Maroons as a participatory movement designed to turn visibility into pressure, solidarity, and action. The campaign was activated through social media, supporter club partnerships, merchandise, fundraising, and World Cup watch parties, transforming moments of national pride into a global conversation around LGBTQ+ persecution in Qatar.
The initiative also created space for LGBTQ+ Qataris to anonymously share their experiences, contributing to one of the first documented collections of testimonies from the community.