[Blend]

I'm sure everyone has heard about the rampant homophobia currently happening in Russia. For anyone who doesn't know much about it, here are a few articles:

Gay Teen Dies after Being Kidnapped and Tortured in Russia

Russian MP Pushes Law Allowing Public Whipping of Gays

Partygoers attacked in Moscow bar for "looking gay"

These are just a few of many examples. As a gay man, I have been left speechless on countless occasions that such hate is being allowed to happen at all, let alone in a country that is about to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. The Olympic charter calls sport a human right that should be practiced “without discrimination of any kind.” Allowing a country with such an internationally public record of homophobia makes absolutely no sense when compared against that charter 'right.'

There have been many different responses to these Russian propaganda laws, and to Russia hosting the Olympics despite these laws.

The IOC has been assured that there would be no enforcement of these laws at the Sochi Olympics, but the Russian Sports Minister, as well as Russian lawmakers, have since reiterated that these laws would be enforced, even during the Olympics. This means that someone wearing so much as a rainbow pin during the Olympics, be they an athlete or spectator, could be arrested, detained, and, eventually, deported.

Barack Obama has said that the US will have to weigh Russia's treatment of gays when making future decisions about foreign aid. David Cameron has pledged the same for the UK. Venice, who is St. Petersburg's sister city, has cut ties with Russia, as it does not want to be seen as condoning such atrocious behaviour. But so far, no one has dared touch the issue of the Olympics in Sochi.

People around the world are boycotting Stolichnaya, which labels itself as Russian vodka. The fact that it's nod made in Russia, that it's not bottled in Russia, and that Stolichnaya has a record of support for gays and gay pride events seems to not matter to those people. But very few people are talking about boycotting the supporters of the Olympics, such as McDonald's, Panasonic, Coca-Cola, and Visa.

Out Olympians such as Blake Skjellerup and Matthew Mitcham are speaking out against Russia's homophobic laws, but no one really wants to 'cancel the Olympics.' I understand their point of view, they have trained for years for this event. But can you really call yourself a supporter if you turn a blind eye to something that's happening just outside the confines of the Olympic village?

George Takei has suggested we move the Olympics to Vancouver, who hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics. It's a cute idea, but does anyone really think this is going to happen, cause I certainly don't?

What can we do? What will it take to get the message across?

I will personally be boycotting the Sochi Olympics. I will not watch a single event, I will not support NBC, and I will not support those companies that are supporting the Olympics.

I agree that it's a human right to be able to play Sports, but is it alright to ensure a human right to the detriment of another?

[Terez]

I signed Takei's petition, for what it's worth. How much do the games actually depend upon the sponsors? I can't imagine it's much.

[Blend]

It's less how much the Olympics depend on them, it's more how much money do they inject into the Russian economy.

[Morgoth]

Organizing the olympics is a frightfully expensive endeavour, and it's possible that Vancouver might be the only place in the world that still has the necessary infrastructure in place to take over on such short notice.

Still, it's not going to happen. I love winter sports, and I hate how tainted this winter's games will be by the disgusting nature of Russia's anti gay laws. At least, the very presence of the Olympics have helped shine light on what's going on in Russia, so there's at least something positive in Russia hosting, though it hardly outweighs all the negatives.

[Abyss]

In 2008 the Olympics went to China. China. Communist superpower treats intellectual property like tissue puts innocents in prison then sells their organs has more people living in caves than the entire population of Canada that's China. There were some cute statements about how the presence of the Olympics will somehow make a difference to the country. if it happened,i don't think the rest of us have noticed.

This isn't even the first time the OIC has gone to Russia. The Olymp[ics were in Moscow in mid-cold-war 1980.

So i think the OIC's judgment is questionable.

I don't think that they should move the Olympics, but i do think the more progressive countries should have boycotted the games and refused to contribute $ to the OIC. It won't happen, but it should have.

[QuickTidal]

 Abyss, on 07 August 2013 - 03:42 PM, said:

In 2008 the Olympics went to China. China. Communist superpower treats intellectual property like tissue puts innocents in prison then sells their organs has more people living in caves than the entire population of Canada that's China. There were some cute statements about how the presence of the Olympics will somehow make a difference to the country. if it happened,i don't think the rest of us have noticed.

This isn't even the first time the OIC has gone to Russia. The Olymp[ics were in Moscow in mid-cold-war 1980.

So i think the OIC's judgment is questionable.

I don't think that they should move the Olympics, but i do think the more progressive countries should have boycotted the games and refused to contribute $ to the OIC. It won't happen, but it should have.

OIC's judgment is nearly ALWAYS questionable.

[amphibian]

The mistakes of the past do not demand helplessness or continuation of ineffective tactics.

There are a ton of things wrong with the IOC and they almost always come down to tv money. So don't watch, don't click on internet news and don't buy magazines that are special features on the Sochi Olympics.

Also, every athlete who can should say they are gay when going through processing at Sochi. It doesn't matter if they are gay or not, if a large chunk of the athlete population is cluttering up the radar of the police, then the ban becomes useless. And with so many false positives, they won't spend time in jail or be unable to compete.

Sort of a better spirited I am Spartacus thing.

[Abyss]

I want to see an entire team walk into the opening ceremony wearing rainbow pins.

[Blend]

Fuck rainbow pins, I'd like to see them march into the Opening Ceremony with Rainbow flags next to their country's flag.

[QuickTidal]

I have a feeling there are going to be big statements made by the athlete's about this. Stuff like Abyss mentions seem like a perfect way to protest.

I like Amph's suggestion of all athlete's reporting to be gay, saturate the system and the ban truly does become useless....but I wonder if they'd be denied entry to the country since it's a law? Though that would have a similar effect as denied athlete's would be BIG news, blowing the situation wide.

I dunno if Russia will be able to ignore the outcry.

[Blend]

At this point, I think the only thing we can do is to continue to make a big deal out of this, so that if they decide to do something at the Olympics, it will be picked up immediately. We can't let this situation just rest, we must continue to pressure the IOC, our countries' leaders, and Russia to do something about these laws.

[amphibian]

 QuickTidal, on 07 August 2013 - 07:15 PM, said:

I like Amph's suggestion of all athlete's reporting to be gay, saturate the system and the ban truly does become useless....but I wonder if they'd be denied entry to the country since it's a law? Though that would have a similar effect as denied athlete's would be BIG news, blowing the situation wide.

There's getting into the country and then there's checking into the Olympic dorms, registering as coaches/athletes/staff/media and so on. The latter stage - when they're already in the country - is when I suggest everyone do the I am Sportacus routine. It's too late to bar entry and they'll be there along with the media, sponsors and organizers.

[Kanese S's]

I really like Amph's idea, and also Blend's idea of team's carrying rainbow banners during the opening ceremony. A boycott is unlikely, but given that, it would be good for the athletes to draw as much attention as possible to Russia's homophobic douchebaggery.

[Cause]

I am glad someone started this thread I have been thinking about this for a while, never even realized it was half as bad as it seems and still I thought it has been disgusting. Whipping Gays? I don't know how people can still say these things out loud!

The problem as I see it is that despite how the Olympics has branded itself at times they are not actually about promoting world peace or human rights. There was a time they were about showing off human sporting achievement but now they are even more about business. As stated they went to China for Gods sake! They have in the past resisted banning Rhodesia and South Africa from competing. They went into Germany in 1936! Nazi Germany, where Hitler paraded his Uber-men around and his racist policies were well established. During the Mourning for the Israeli Athletes that were killed in the 1976 German Olympics when they put the flags at half mast ten Arab nations said they would withdraw if their flags were not returned to full mast, and they were. Competing in the olympics places no requirements on the athletes or the competing countries. It asks nothing from them and expects nothing. We should all be appalled that the Olympics will go ahead in Russia but we should not be surprised. For every Olympic moment where a Georgian and Russian athlete embrace on the podium while there countries are at war at home the olympic is filled with ten empty moments.

I don't doubt a few individual athletes will protest, maybe even a few refuse to compete and good for them! However the sight of every nation marching through the opening ceremony with a rainbow flag beside their national flag will be a dream. For every US that will be appalled by what Russia is doing their will be a Saudia Arabia who is as bad or worse. Thats the Tragedy of the olympics, political and meaningfull statements will be left to be made by the Athletes and not the governing body,

[QuickTidal]

Well, that escalated fast...in the WRONG fucking direction.

http://americablog.c...i-olympics.html

Sigh. The IOC is going to have a hornet's nest to deal with if this is actually what happens.

What the fuck is wrong with people?

I'm actually flabbergasted that Russians would actually ARREST people seen wearing rainbow pins....that is some Soviet-era fucked up shit.




EDIT: Fighting the good fight here though, a bunch of people around the web have noted that to hit the IOC where it hurts is to boycott the major sponsors. Here's a good post about it.

http://mightygodking...re-the-olympics

I like the twitter idea, social media is god right now, and companies can get sunk from bad press spreading like wildfire on Twitter.

So telling McDonalds (for example) on twitter that you won't eat their food while they sponsor the Olympics...is good...millions of people who do it might just make them sit up and listen.

And lastly, here is a link to a petition to see the Games moved back to Vancouver (who could host them with minimal effort since they still have the venues ect.) that's getting some heavy support....it had 50,000 signatures a few hours ago, and now has closer to 90,000. Worth a shot.

http://www.change.or...-to-vancouver-2

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 08 August 2013 - 03:04 PM

[HiddenOne]

No they won't, because once the furor dies down and it's quickly forgotten, everybody will go back to consuming goods, without regard to their origin

[Abyss]

I would dearly love to see a mass Twitblitz turn into action by sponsors, but i suspect that the IOC has enough power to keep that from happening. It's going to take a hell of a lot of unsold Big Macs before McDonalds is willing to give up Olympic eyeballs now and in the future.

And perhaps i'm unduly cynical, but Obama wasnt nearly as critical of Russia before the Snowden thing kicked up a notch. Now he can gain popularity points by slamming Putin over gay rights while keeping the security folks happy with his 'how dare they shelter this traitor who revealed that we were spying on everyone all the time oh was that out loud?' stance.

Btw, i'm pretty sure Vancouver doesn't want the Olympics back. Cute idea, no practical way to make it happen.

I think that ultimately this will change nothing in Russia, and the only question is who will do what to express how they feel about that.

[Cause]

For Someone who knows, how popular is the anti-gay law in russia? I see we have a neo-nazi group kidnapping Gays and torturing them but my understanding has always been most Russians hate the fascists and their ideals. So average Russian in the street, does he support the law or just not care enough to go against it?

I have also got to say that this raising of Sport to a religion where the games must go on no matter what because sport is important baffles me. Sport on its own does not bring people together. Sport coupled with an atmosphere of promoting tolerance does. I think there is a case from the london olympics where the olympic organizers literally built a wall between the Lebanon and Israeli Judo teams during training because the Lebanese complained about the proximity. How did that promote tolerance or good sportsmanship?

I think the IOC needs to strongly rethink its priorities. Sadly there is no doubt in my mind that this winter olympics will be as popular as any games held before.

[Morgoth]

I think the Economist mentioned something around 70 % support.

[QuickTidal]

It does sound as if the guy who is batting for Jaqcues Rogge's position as Pres of the IOC is (if he gets in) advocating that tolerance and humanity and civil rights be a BIG quotient in selecting the host city....while that doesn't help for Russia...perhaps it will help to have someone like that in charge down the line?

Ack, the whole thing is just asinine and goes against the camaraderie of sport that the Greek's began so many years ago.