Joe Lycett’s money-shredding protest against David Beckham’s Qatar deal is up for a major award
Joe Lycett has been nominated at the British LGBT Awards for his David Beckham stunt. (Getty)
Comedian Joe Lycett is up for a major British award for his highly-publicised campaign against David Beckham’s multi-million dollar World Cup deal.
Lycett sparked a major conversation when he protested the footballer’s ambassadorial role at the World Cup in Qatar, a country with a track record of anti-LGBT+ laws and human rights abuses.
After issuing an ultimatum in which he urged Beckham to pull out of the deal, the comedian made headlines when he posted a video of himself shredding £10,000 of his own money.
Following huge backlash to the stunt, Lycett revealed that he had in fact donated the money to various LGBTQ+ charities, and instead shredded Beckham’s groundbreaking 2003 cover for LGBTQ+ magazine Attitude.
Now, Lycett has been shortlisted for Media Moment of the Year at the British LGBT Awards, which honours leading LGBTQ+ activists, allies and celebrities who have worked to advance the rights of LGBTQ+ people during the past 12 months.
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Lycett is in the running for a major honour for raising awareness of the ethical implications of supporting the World Cup in the Middle Eastern Nation.
“It is more important than ever that we shine a light on those who have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the LGBT+ community, during what has been another very challenging 12 months for the community,” said British LGBT Awards founder Sarah Garrett.
“The nominees, which include an exciting mix of famous LGBT+ faces, allies and organisations, have all demonstrated a commitment to advancing LGBT+ rights.”
The nomination goes up against other standout LGBTQ+ media moments including sports commentator Alex Scott wearing the banned OneLove armband during World Cup coverage, Ncuti Gatwa and Yasmin Finney joining Russell T Davies’ Doctor Who and Miss Argentina and Miss Puerto Rico getting married.
The award also spotlights notable LGBTQ+ celebrities such as Emma Corrin, Kit Connor, Yasmin Finney and Rebel Wilson who have all had a significant year.
In the wake of Lycett’s campaign, Beckham addressed the controversy in a disappointing media statement.
“We understand that there are different and strongly held views about engagement in the Middle East but see it as positive that debate about the key issues has been stimulated directly by the first World Cup being held in the region,” he said.
“We hope that these conversations will lead to greater understanding and empathy towards all people and that progress will be achieved.”
As many called out this underwhelming response, Lycett capped off the year with a Got Your Back Christmas special in which he condemned so-called “allies” who are “happy to slap a rainbow on when it doesn’t cost them anything but looked the other way when it came to the World Cup”.
Voting is now open for the British LGBT Awards.
