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The Commonwealth Games open in Glasgow this week, and a planned exhibition in the city about LGBTQ human rights is already creating debate, even before it is installed and unveiled.
The initiative, known as Zero Flags Commonwealth, will feature the flag of every Commonwealth country where consensual same-sex relationships are still criminalized under law, with black ribbons attached.
The core mission of the Zero Flags Project is to highlight LGBTQ human rights issues across nations, with the ultimate goal that one day no flags will remain on display because every country will have decriminalized homosexuality.
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Gay sex remains a criminal offence in 29 of the 56 sovereign states of the Commonwealth. There are 74 Commonwealth Games Associations due to compete at Glasgow 2026, because several teams are drawn from dependencies and territories of the states.
Hugh Torrance, executive director of LEAP Sports Scotland, says there is an important message behind the display, which is due to be unveiled on Thursday on Candleriggs, a street in the “Merchant City” area of Glasgow.
“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?” said Torrance.
“Zero Flags Commonwealth shines a light on the uncomfortable reality that many Commonwealth nations still criminalise consensual same-sex intimacy. It also asks us to confront how we got here and where we go next.
“Many of these laws have their roots in Britain’s colonial past, and this is a moment to acknowledge that shared history, recognise the consequences people continue to face today and work together towards meaningful progress.”
Phil Batty, chief executive of Glasgow 2026 — who is himself a member of the LGBTQ community — strongly backed the project’s role alongside the expanded Pride House Glasgow spaces at the Games.
“There are moments when sport goes beyond the medals,” said Batty. “For me, Pride House at Glasgow 2026 and the Zero Flags Commonwealth installation represent one of those moments.
“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 have made this powerful installation possible.”
Right-wing politicians take aim at Zero Flags Commonwealth
Perhaps predictably, the planned installation has already drawn criticism from political figures who believe the Games should stick strictly to athletic competition.
Meghan Gallacher is an MSP (Minister for the Scottish Parliament) who represents the Scottish Conservatives. She has labeled the exhibition a “performative stunt” and said that event bosses should be focused on welcoming athletes to Glasgow rather than wading into human rights issues.
Thomas Kerr is a Reform UK Scotland MSP and was also quoted in the Scottish Sun expressing similar concerns. Kerr feels the flag exhibition amounts to “publicly shaming” countries that visiting athletes call home.
“This is exactly the sort of virtue-signalling that turns people off,” Kerr stated. “The Commonwealth Games should be about sport, friendship and bringing nations together. Not using international guests as props in a political campaign.”
It’s a familiar refrain from politicians on the right wing of the spectrum.
When Tom Daley led a group of LGBTQ activists into the Opening Ceremony arena at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, all bearing intersex inclusive Progress Pride flags, there were similar complaints from right-wing commentators who branded the activation as “woke.”
CEO says Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games must reflect the city
Speaking on a recent episode of the Jack Murley Sports Show Podcast, Batty defended the decision to integrate advocacy directly into the fabric of Glasgow 2026.
He noted that the event has expanded from a single Pride House into an entire “Pride campus” to give fans and athletes wider opportunities to participate safely.
“It’s so important within sport to have LGBTQ visibility,” Batty said. “What Commonwealth Sport does really well is always make sure we create those spaces within a Games to have really difficult, challenging, open, safe conversations about what’s facing LGBTQ communities, both within the sport and outside the sport at the moment.”
As for the many LGBTQ visitors to Glasgow 2026, Batty highlighted how competitors from across the Commonwealth will arrive in the Scottish city under very different circumstances.
“Every individual who comes to the games from any country… is coming with a different context in which they live their lives,” he noted.
“We need to make sure that the context that they can experience Glasgow is one that is genuinely reflective of the city of Glasgow – open, friendly, and real.”
Batty says he believes that major multi-sport events offer a vital platform for progress. “The big opportunity that the multi-sport events provide is to provide a space where people can see the positive advocacy that comes when you are confident and safe and secure enough to tell that story,” he added.
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