Virgin Atlantic, which previously announced a gender-fluid uniform policy — giving “individuals the freedom to wear a uniform that best represents them” — instructed its staff to refrain from doing so on its flight transporting the England soccer team to the World Cup in Qatar.
“Following a risk assessment, it was recommended the policy was not applied on today’s charter flight to ensure the safety of our people,” the airline’s spokeswoman said.
Qatar enforces sharia law, criminalizes homosexuality, and limits the freedom of women. Various Western soccer teams, including England, Wales, and some from European nations, said they would wear an LGBTQ+ armband but backed down out of fear.
Virtue-signaling is an entirely self-aggrandizing pursuit. As soon as it costs anything, it’s abandoned.
As Piers Morgan wrote:
Ridiculous that England made such a fuss about wearing virtue-signalling armbands at this World Cup. Even more ridiculous they've now been bullied into not wearing them. If you're going to virtue-signal, at least have the guts to stick to your supposed principles. pic.twitter.com/opF9f9VULx
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 21, 2022