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At the beginning of next year, the eyes of the world will turn towards the Russian city of Sochi. Located in the south of the country, it is reportedly the longest city in Europe, it is the largest resort city in Russia and it is the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics; an Olympics already hit by controversy and uncertainty.
Recently, the lower house of Russia’s parliament unanimously passed a bill banning “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations”, which was then subsequently passed into law. This new law means that hefty fines can be imposed on anyone providing information about LGBT matters to minors, or holding gay pride marches, and it also means that “pro-gay” tourists in the country can be arrested and detained for up to 14 days before being expelled from the country. Naturally, this has given rise to considerable amounts of concern about the safety of LGBT tourists and athletes, in light of the upcoming Olympics.
These weren’t entirely new worries though. At the 2010 Vancouver Games, an area to celebrate and welcome LGBT athletes had been established, something which has since been seen at various other sporting events including the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Attempts made to arrange a Pride House at Sochi were scuppered, however, when a judge backed up a ban imposed by the authorities, claiming that having a Pride House in Sochi would lead to “propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation” and that this could “undermine the security of the Russian society and the state, provoke social-religious hatred, which is the feature of the extremist character of the activity.”
“Such aims as creating an understanding of the necessity to fight against homophobia and the creation of positive attitudes towards LGBT sportsmen contradicts with the basics of public morality”, the judge concluded.
Despite this speech against positive attitudes towards LGBT sportspeople, in recent days Russian officials have reassured the International Olympic Committee that the anti-gay laws will not apply to spectators and athletes planning to attend Sochi. These assurances, however, have not appeased an international community which is calling for a boycott of the Russian Federation’s first Olympics.
Over the last few days there has been widespread petitioning for the Games’ major sponsors to withdraw their support, as well as for broadcasters to refuse to show the opening ceremony of the games (which is traditionally, in essence, an advert for the host country). NBC Sports was one group to respond to these calls, although they could only promise to acknowledge the laws if they impacted on the games, and for many who want the issue to be discussed, or even for the whole games to be boycotted, this will not be enough.
So what about a boycott? The idea of millions of people worldwide refusing to watch the Olympics must be something which the Russian authorities would fear, but is this really the best way to make a point about these issues?
The point of the Olympics is that it is a non-political event. It is an event of peace and acceptance; that transcends differences and brings people together. In light of this, for me, the very best way to highlight the discrimination is to go to Sochi and stand with the athletes who have been working so hard for so many years to get there. There will be LGBT sportspeople who have aimed their whole lives towards one moment in February of 2014, and to have that put in jeopardy for any reason must be devastating.
One gay athlete, speed skater Blake Skjellerup, has announced that he plans to wear a rainbow pin during competition in Sochi. He said that for him, visibility was the best option, and that he has no plans to go back in the closet during the 2014 Olympics.
These athletes will be making a stand just by being themselves in the fact of the new laws at this Olympics, and spectators should be there to support them in their endeavours. It seems to me that by having the courage to applaud these sportspeople, rather than abandoning them, a more important message will be sent to the Russian authorities: that the rest of the world is in support of these people, as they are of all people; that there are no differences between a straight person and an LGBT person, and that attempts at discrimination will be ignored.
It is true that a boycott would send a strong message, particularly in terms of economics, but it is also true that by flooding the country with support and love during these two weeks we could send a powerful and unavoidable message to the authorities. Fear isn’t something that will hold back love and acceptance, and a progressive world doesn’t condone discrimination and will not be swayed by it.
Recently, the lower house of Russia’s parliament unanimously passed a bill banning “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations”, which was then subsequently passed into law. This new law means that hefty fines can be imposed on anyone providing information about LGBT matters to minors, or holding gay pride marches, and it also means that “pro-gay” tourists in the country can be arrested and detained for up to 14 days before being expelled from the country. Naturally, this has given rise to considerable amounts of concern about the safety of LGBT tourists and athletes, in light of the upcoming Olympics.
These weren’t entirely new worries though. At the 2010 Vancouver Games, an area to celebrate and welcome LGBT athletes had been established, something which has since been seen at various other sporting events including the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Attempts made to arrange a Pride House at Sochi were scuppered, however, when a judge backed up a ban imposed by the authorities, claiming that having a Pride House in Sochi would lead to “propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation” and that this could “undermine the security of the Russian society and the state, provoke social-religious hatred, which is the feature of the extremist character of the activity.”
“Such aims as creating an understanding of the necessity to fight against homophobia and the creation of positive attitudes towards LGBT sportsmen contradicts with the basics of public morality”, the judge concluded.
Despite this speech against positive attitudes towards LGBT sportspeople, in recent days Russian officials have reassured the International Olympic Committee that the anti-gay laws will not apply to spectators and athletes planning to attend Sochi. These assurances, however, have not appeased an international community which is calling for a boycott of the Russian Federation’s first Olympics.
Over the last few days there has been widespread petitioning for the Games’ major sponsors to withdraw their support, as well as for broadcasters to refuse to show the opening ceremony of the games (which is traditionally, in essence, an advert for the host country). NBC Sports was one group to respond to these calls, although they could only promise to acknowledge the laws if they impacted on the games, and for many who want the issue to be discussed, or even for the whole games to be boycotted, this will not be enough.
So what about a boycott? The idea of millions of people worldwide refusing to watch the Olympics must be something which the Russian authorities would fear, but is this really the best way to make a point about these issues?
The point of the Olympics is that it is a non-political event. It is an event of peace and acceptance; that transcends differences and brings people together. In light of this, for me, the very best way to highlight the discrimination is to go to Sochi and stand with the athletes who have been working so hard for so many years to get there. There will be LGBT sportspeople who have aimed their whole lives towards one moment in February of 2014, and to have that put in jeopardy for any reason must be devastating.
One gay athlete, speed skater Blake Skjellerup, has announced that he plans to wear a rainbow pin during competition in Sochi. He said that for him, visibility was the best option, and that he has no plans to go back in the closet during the 2014 Olympics.
These athletes will be making a stand just by being themselves in the fact of the new laws at this Olympics, and spectators should be there to support them in their endeavours. It seems to me that by having the courage to applaud these sportspeople, rather than abandoning them, a more important message will be sent to the Russian authorities: that the rest of the world is in support of these people, as they are of all people; that there are no differences between a straight person and an LGBT person, and that attempts at discrimination will be ignored.
It is true that a boycott would send a strong message, particularly in terms of economics, but it is also true that by flooding the country with support and love during these two weeks we could send a powerful and unavoidable message to the authorities. Fear isn’t something that will hold back love and acceptance, and a progressive world doesn’t condone discrimination and will not be swayed by it.
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