LGBT News Olympic Committee Asks Russia for 'Clarification' on Anti-LGBT Laws

"Clarification": bureaucratic, mealy-mouthed, diplomatic weasel-language...typical of the IOC.

 

I wouldn't trust it...these people have proved untrustworthy already by standing aside when LGBT people are beaten or murdered. Who's to say they'll follow the 'rules' during the games?

 

This is so ridiculous!

1) They're not following their own frigging laws. Yes, homosexuality is illegalised now, but that doesn't excuse neo-nazi murder. Yet they're clearly turning a blind eye to that, and now expecting us to believe that they'll go out of their way to protect tourists and athletes? Preposterous.

2) The IOC is completely missing the point. This isn't about the safety of a few visiting people, it's about making a political statement to ensure the safety of a countryful of young gay men! What good is asking for clarification on this going to do? Just move the games!

Sorry, this situation is getting me really impassioned. I'm not even out to more than about five people on my facebook friends list but I wrote my first ever LGBTQ supporting facebook post about this. I'm really invested in it.

 

Wow.. So looks like Russia is being cowardly as fuck.

So much for "Long Live the Soviet Union"

 

what the IOC needs to do from hence forth is ban all countries and municipalities, cities, and states that actively violate human rights from even being allowed to bid for the games. If they had done so a long time ago, russia, china, and brazil would never have been allowed to get them, and america would not have until 2003.

 

By this logic almost every country on earth would be restricted.

I don't see the US being held responsible for carpet bombing thousands of civilians in Yemen any time soon..

 

i dont mean to be a traitor to my community but isnt the reason to go to these games to compete? , and while i hate the laws , it is their country just dress normal and do what you came to do and you will be fine, i feel for all the gay people in russia that have to live with this law, but boycotting is not the way , dont ruin something for someone who has worked their whole life for this moment! i know we all like to wear our pride buttons but maybe just this once you can not wear it, just like how some gay couples wont hold hands in certain areas,yeah it sux but its the way it is, they arent going to move the olympics so we just need to make the best out of it, for some of these athletes its their last chance at a medal.

 

Just accepting their laws obviously isn't the answer

I don't support a boycott either, but the athletes and spectators and anyone else visiting Russia shouldn't abide by these laws. They need to be flouted in protest. If Russia tries to enforce against them during the Olympics it's not going to end well (for them).

 

Russian TV rocks:
Freedom in Russia - YouTube

 

This is chilling...makes one imagine what Nazism would look like if they had this kind of mass-media technology.

 

I'm just gonna say a little controversial opinion, the Olympics should keep politics out and so Russians regardless of politic position should also do the same with the Olympics by keeping politics out. It's about sportsmanship.

 

I'm afraid I would have to disagree with this. If it was purely about sportsmanship then we could congratulate the athletes on their successes, not their countries. The moment you make it a nationalistic thing, start with all the "Team GB" crap and start countries competing to have the most medal winning athletes, it becomes inextricably tied to international relations and thereby politics.

Besides, sportsmanship is very honourable but it isn't a mindset that should be unique to sports. If Russia aren't prepared to show the same qualities desired by a magnanimous sportsperson in the rest of their political landscape then they shouldn't be given the opportunity to show it in the Olympics. The rest of the world need to make it clear to them that they do not have our support.

I should make it clear that I am not in favour of an Olympic boycott. But I do think that the Olympics could be a very powerful tool for making a stand and pointing out to Putin just how stupid he's being. He almost certainly won't bite because he's a psycho, but maybe we could manage to turn some of his people against him. It has to be worth a try to stop the horrors that he's forcing on innocent people.

 

Could they possibly be any more vague? If they've received these reassurances, what, exactly, are they? Why not just publish them? And clarification about what, exactly?

Not at all reassuring.

 

I was wondering the same thing. And IMO, the fact that the government of Russia evidently doesn't have the authority to suspend anti-LGBT laws during the winter games is bull shit. It's the fucking government! Can't they just do it?

 

I guess you're right then... If only... I'm not a fan of politics being placed into things that shouldn't even have politics involved, but that's just me.

 

Ah, but it should have politics involved. Events like these are some of the only ways in which we can reach out to these countries and make positive changes. Politics aren't some realm in which idiots argue without causing any harm - they are harming people, and we must do everything within our power to prevent it.