Gay Athletes Stand Up to Russia

[Gaybutton]

See the video: http://us.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/ ... s.cnn.html

[lvdkeyes]

They should boycott the games.

[Trongpai]

And the games sponsor, Coke.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/08/02/us ... in-russia/

[Gaybutton]

They should boycott the games.

If past history is an indicator, the USA boycotted the Russian Olympics in 1980 when Russia had invaded Afghanistan. All that really resulted was to deprive the athletes of their chance to be part of the Olympics, but politically it made no impact and had no effect on Russia's invasion of Afghanistan. In other words, whatever the boycott was supposed to accomplish, it didn't work.

I think boycotting the Olympics actually addresses two issues - Russia's sudden hard line stance against gays and Russia granting 1 year asylum status to Snowden. I don't see how boycotting the Olympics would do anything to reverse Russia's stance on gay rights or bring Snowden back to the USA. I think all a boycott would do is cause Russia to behave even more belligerently toward gays than they're already behaving and probably get them to grant Snowden permanent asylum if he wants it.

The way I see it, Snowden has already done whatever damage he could have done. Causing a potentially much more serious rift with Russia is not, in my opinion, worth doing just for the sake of punishing Snowden. On the other hand, if Snowden does end up getting away with it, that sets a dangerous precedent when sooner or later the next Julius and Ethel Rosenberg comes along.

I also don't see how a boycott of the Olympics due to Russia's stance on gay rights would do anything more than the 1980 boycott did. I don't think it would accomplish anything and Russia would have to be blind not to already see the worldwide protests against this outrageous homophobic persecution policy.

Next month Obama is scheduled to meet with Putin. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. I'm wondering if Putin is trying, for whatever reasons, to be at odds with Obama. Obama has come out in favor of gay rights. Now Putin is doing everything he can to suppress gay rights. Obama wants Snowden returned to the USA. Now Putin granted him asylum. I think the more urgent question is to understand why Putin is doing these things.

I agree that the USA needs to something about these problems, but I also believe that politics should have nothing to do with the Olympics.

[crabby]

I don't think we should boycott the Olympics but we should boycott the Olympic sponsors and all things Russian. Hit them in the pocket book.

[Gaybutton]

Hit them in the pocket book.

We could start by getting them to walk down Beach Road in the middle of the night. The lady boy pickpockets would be happy to help to hit them in their pocket books . . .

[RichLB]

Whether or not governments will boycott or take other actions against Russia, I don't see how a gay person can participate in an event sponsored by bigots and homophobes. Actually, I don't see how anybody can. Maybe the US will not formally boycott the games, but perhaps individual athletes will and publicize their reason for non-participation.

[Trongpai]

You wont hear so much as a peep from these 7 US republicans: http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/06/2 ... entatives/