‘Not insulting’ – LGBTQ activists from countries with anti-gay laws defend Commonwealth Games flags display
Right-wing media and politicians have claimed the Zero Flags display at the Commonwealth Games is somehow ‘insulting’ and ‘out of touch’ but LGBTQ activists from three of the 29 featured countries with anti-gay laws say the project is respectful and reflects their lived reality; award-winning actor Alan Cumming narrates Pride House Glasgow explainer video…
LGBTQ human rights activists from three of the Commonwealth countries with anti-gay laws have given their blessing to a display of flags organised by Pride House Glasgow after criticism from right-wing politicians and media outlets.
The exhibition, titled Zero Flags Commonwealth, has been installed at Candleriggs in Glasgow’s Merchant City throughout the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Created through a partnership with the international Zero Flags Project and LEAP Sports Scotland, the free outdoor display features the national flags of the 29 Commonwealth member states that continue to criminalise consensual same-sex relationships.
Each flag flies with a black mourning ribbon tied to it, representing the ongoing human rights toll and discrimination faced by LGBTQ individuals in those nations.
The exhibition aims to educate visitors on human rights, highlight how many of these anti-gay laws stem directly from British colonial history, and look forward to a future where zero flags remain to be displayed.
Despite the project’s focus on human rights and reflection, right-wing media outlets and politicians have been attempting to whip up criticism over the installation.
One detractor, Meghan Gallacher MSP – a Member of the Scottish Parliament – branded the exhibition a “performative stunt” while a Reform UK Scotland MSP called Thomas Kerr said that displaying national flags with black ribbons “risks insulting” people from the nations in question.
However, human rights campaigners and community leaders from countries whose flags feature in the display have strongly pushed back against these claims. They argue that the exhibition reflects the harsh daily reality of living under laws that persecute people simply for who they are.
The courageous activists, who hail from Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uganda, have spoken out to set the record straight and defend the installation.
Numan Afifi is a Malaysian LGBTQ activist and community organiser who is the President of JEJAKA, a grassroots organisation supporting queer communities in his homeland.
Afifi said: “The people calling this display disrespectful should ask who is actually being disrespected. In Malaysia, being queer still means living under laws that can put you in prison. That isn’t an abstract political argument to us; it’s the reason LGBTQ+ people have left the country, and others have stopped being honest with their own families.
“A black ribbon on a flag doesn’t insult anyone; it names something true. And sport is exactly where that truth belongs, because the Commonwealth Games asks countries to stand together under shared values of dignity and equality… so it is fair to ask what those values mean for the people in our countries they currently exclude.”
Jason Jones, from Trinidad and Tobago, highlighted the urgent need to challenge legacy colonial laws that continue to harm citizens across the Commonwealth.
“I am super proud of Pride House and this display highlighting the issue of LGBTQ+ criminalisation in the Commonwealth,” said Jones.
“I am fighting to remove these heinous laws NOW in the Supreme Court, which is still here in Britain. The Privy Council will pass judgement in the near future as to whether these laws created in Britain 500 years ago should still be persecuting LGBTQ+ people today.
“This is ALL of our problem! We cannot enjoy the Commonwealth Games knowing that so many of our citizens are still suffering from discrimination based upon laws created by British Colonialism. Human rights are for ALL Commonwealth citizens. A LUTA CONTINUA!”
Frank Mugisha is a prominent advocate for LGBTQ rights and respected human rights champion, who is the executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG).
He emphasised why acts of international solidarity like the Zero Flags display are so vital.
“When I came to Glasgow during the Commonwealth Games years ago, I experienced a city that welcomed people with warmth, kindness and dignity. That spirit has stayed with me,” said Mugisha.
“Coming from Uganda, where being gay has meant living under the threat of life imprisonment, and where some political leaders have even called for the death penalty, I know these are not distant issues; they are part of our daily lives.
“Across many Commonwealth countries, LGBTQ+ people still live under colonial-era laws that criminalise who we are, forcing us to hide, to live in fear, and too often, to lose hope.
“That is why acts of solidarity matter. They remind people who are too often silenced, isolated or made to feel invisible that they are not alone and that their lives matter.
“The Zero Flags display is not about disrespecting anyone or singling out countries. It is about our shared humanity. It is a reminder that the Commonwealth cannot truly stand for dignity, equality and respect while millions of its own citizens are still denied those very values simply because of who they are.”
To encourage visitors to the exhibition and the wider mission of Pride House Glasgow 2026, award-winning actor Alan Cumming has narrated an explainer video for guests.
In the video, Cumming delivers a welcoming message and explains the core purpose behind the installation.
“Hello everyone and welcome to Pride House of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. As we celebrate these Commonwealth Games together, Pride House is a place for LGBTQ+ athletes, people, supporters, volunteers and our allies from across the Commonwealth to come together in friendship and solidarity.
“It’s also a reminder that across our Commonwealth family, there are still countries where people are criminalised simply for being who they are. That is why spaces like this matter.
“Before you leave Glasgow, I encourage you to visit the ’29 to Go’ Zero Flags Commonwealth exhibition. In this area stand the flags of the 29 Commonwealth countries that continue to criminalise homosexuality. In four of these countries, the penalty for homosexuality is death.
“These flags stand as a monument to visibility, recognising the thousands of people who remain unable to live openly or love freely.”
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Further reading…
Commonwealth Games put countries with anti-gay laws on blast (Outsports, July 2026)
‘A very angry gay man’: activist’s 11-year fight to overturn Trinidad’s homophobic laws reaches final hurdle (The Guardian, July 2026)
European champion says Pride House Glasgow will be a ‘must-visit’ LGBTQ-inclusive space at Commonwealth Games (Sports Media LGBT+, May 2026)
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