US heptathlete gay pride shoe flaps in Qatar

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — American heptathlete Erica Bougard says she wasn’t trying to make an international political statement against Qatar’s anti-LGBTQ policies. She was just wearing her favorite high jump shoes.
She has worn the shoes, with a rainbow flap across one foot to symbolize gay pride, all season. She didn’t consider how that would be taken in Qatar, a conservative Muslim nation, where homosexual acts are illegal.
By slipping on the high-jump shoes Wednesday night,