Joe Lycett has been the talk of the town after his £10,000 stunt (Picture: Joe Lycett/Twitter)

Joe Lycett made headlines last week after appearing to shred £10,000 of his own money in response to David Beckham refusing the end his controversial involvement in the Qatar World Cup 2022.

One day later, the beloved Brummie comedian explained that he had in fact donated the generous sum to two LGBTQ+ charities, Sport Allies and Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign.

The stunt, which was applauded by many, came about after it was reported Beckham had signed a controversial £10million deal with the FIFA World Cup hosts, where homosexuality is still illegal.

Anyone found participating in same-sex sexual activity in Qatar can be punished with up to seven years in prison.

In his initial video proposition, Lycett offered to donate £10,000 to LGBTQ+ charities if Beckham ended the sponsorship before the international tournament started, and if not, he promised he would film himself shredding the money along with Beckham’s ‘status as gay icon’.

Lycett called for David Beckham to end his role as the Qatar ambassador for the World Cup 2022 (Picture: Getty)

Beckham was hailed an ‘icon’ within the LGBTQ+ community in 2002 when he became the first ever Premier League footballer to star on the cover of Attitude, a gay magazine.

However, with zero response from the former England ace – and still no statement from him at the time of writing – Lycett followed through with his promise and turned stacks of cash into pieces of confetti.

The comedian later came clean and admitted the money in his video wasn’t real.

So, what has been the impact of Lycett’s stunt so far? Firstly, both charities have revealed how his donation will benefit them.

Sport Allies, a charity that aims to promote sport as an inclusive and supportive route to personal growth for everyone, explains that the money will do wonders for them.

‘We already make films, but we have been keen to explore new ways to share them,’ Angus Malcolm, Chair of Sport Allies tells Metro.co.uk.

‘Lycett’s gift will allow us to build a vibrant offer on film-centred media platforms such as TikTok and, increasingly, Instagram.  If the halo effect of Joe’s gift keeps attracting new donors, it will also enable us to produce regular, more news-driven content.’

The £5,000 donated to Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces, a campaign that has become a symbol of inclusion for the best part of a decade, will also be hugely beneficial.

Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign has been going strong for nearly a decade (Picture: Getty)

‘We are thrilled to be included in Joe Lycett’s 10,000 donation to charities that promote equality in football and are challenging the appalling human rights record of Qatar as they host the Men’s World Cup,’ Sasha Misra, Associate Director of Communications and Campaigns at Stonewall says.

‘LGBTQ+ people are criminalised in Qatar just for being themselves and no country which abuses the human rights of its people in this way should be awarded the honour of hosting a major sporting tournament in the first place.’

Msira shares that the cash will ‘support our work to build a world where LGBTQ+ people are free to be ourselves in every area of our lives’.

So, how has Lycett’s stunt positively impacted members of the LGBTQ+ community?

Joe Lycett’s stunt highlighted superficial support for the LGBTQ+ community

For Lee, Lycett’s stunt emphasized how some celebrities, like Beckham, value money more highly than making a stand on behalf of LGBTQ+ people.

‘I know there was some controversy around Joe Lycett’s threat to shred £10,000 but ultimately it got people talking and hopefully for the right reason,’ he tells us.

‘It says a lot when a number of people were angrier over money than the abuse of other human beings for simply existing. I thought Joe’s stunt was excellent.

Lee believes Lycett did a great job in shining a light on LGBTQ+ injustices (Picture: Lee/Twitter)

‘It highlighted how superficial support for the LGBTQ+ community can be when money is involved. It feels like support is often conditional rather than genuine.’

He adds: ‘My hope is that this isn’t forgotten and that further, serious discussions can take place to eradicate laws that are used to harm others. As a gay man, it is tiring seeing people make excuses for the abuses LGBTQ+ face and then expecting us to “respect” discrimination.

‘Joe has a fantastic way of highlighting injustice and long may this continue. He has my support and respect.’

Joe Lycett’s donation to the Rainbow Laces campaign means the world

Russ, a huge non-league football supporter, is particularly proud that Lycett’s donation went towards the Rainbow Laces Campaign.

‘I’ve always been a fan of both Joe’s comedy and his gardening!’ he enthuses. ‘The various stunts he’s undertaken in the past few years have only made me an even greater supporter of his.  

‘The “shredding incident” in the last few weeks struck a particular chord given I’m a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.

‘His focus on David Beckham has been criticised by some however, after being such a huge LGBTQ+ advocate in the past Beckham’s silence and acceptance of the stated £10million deal is all the more difficult to understand.’

‘Thankfully, there’s been a vast amount of media coverage and celebrities who have spoken out about both the LGBTQ+ and human rights issues in Qatar as the World Cup host country. Especially given FIFA seems utterly inept at doing so.

‘It was therefore all the more heartening to hear that one of the charities Joe made a donation to was Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign.’

Russ’s football team Hanwell Town Football Club fully embraces inclusion campaigns (Picture: Russ/Twitter)

The West London grounds strands proud with LGBTQ+ people (Picture: Russ/Twitter)

Russ avidly follows his local team, Hanwell Town Football Club, in West London.

‘The Club’s committee, supporters, and players were hugely supportive when I encountered homophobic language and behaviour at a couple of away games last season,’ he shares.

‘After being asked to join the committee at the start of the current season, the Club has continued to fully embrace inclusion campaigns and they’ve supported Pride and Black History Month this year, and more recently the Club had a Rainbow Laces match in mid-November.

Pride flags have been hung up around the grounds (Picture: Russ/Twitter)

‘A couple of phrases I’ve heard a lot recently are “keep the politics out of football” and “focus on the football”. On both these points, I completely agree but that’s hard to do when both LGBTQ+ players and supporters have been told they’re “damaged in the mind”.

Joe Lycett’s stunt stressed the need for genuine LGBTQ+ allyship

LGBTQ+ campaigner Andrew is proud that Lycett used his platform and voice to highlight Beckham’s hypocrisy – and believes he shone a light on the necessity of true allies.

‘As an LGBTQ+ person it meant a great deal that someone as influential as Joe Lycett called out Beckham’s actions,’ he says.

Andrew is delighted that Lycett used his platform for good (Picture: Andrew/Twitter)

‘Beckham has often presented himself as an ally to our community but his willingness to rake the Qataris’ money feels like a betrayal.

‘What Joe did was not only highlight the shameful way Qatar treats LGBTQ+ people, but he also stressed how people need to stand up to oppressive regimes.’

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Andrew recalls how he went to watch a Northern Ireland v Qatar match with some friends a few years ago.

‘To protest FIFA awarding the World Cup to the visiting team we took LGBTQ+ rainbow flags into the ground,’ he shares. ‘Something fans at the World Cup cannot do.

‘When protest at games is effectively banned it is more important that people like Joe Lycett speak up.’

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‘Joe Lycett’s stunt highlighted how superficial support for the LGBTQ+ community can be when money is involved.’