Kovalchuk supports Russian anti-gay law; Crosby, other stars opposed | Sports Illustrated
This year, the Russian Parliament passed a law making anything perceived as "pro-gay" to be illegal. Whether you are LGBT, a straight ally, or even someone caught holding hands in public with someone of the same sex, you can be sent to prison. This intolerance is nothing new to Russia - LGBT people are frequently harassed and abused there, and Russian police look the other way when this sort of violence occurs.
With next year's Olympics set to be held in Sochi, Russia, many wondered about how this law would affect the games. The athletes planning to participate in the Olympic Games have some very different opinions on the law. Athletes from gay-friendly countries such as Canada and Sweden have expressed that they do not support the law. However, many Russian athletes have publicly announced their support for the law. Other sources have said that Russian athletes who do not support the anti-gay laws are under a tremendous amount of pressure to keep quiet for fear of their families' well-being.
With all the controversy surrounding the law, many have proposed a boycott of the 2014 Olympics. They have compared Russia’s actions to Germany’s during the 1936 Olympics, when Germany began to pass anti-Semitic laws prior to the Holocaust. They feel that Putin is repeating this crime, but this time against LGBT Russians. Their solution is for countries such as England, the United States, and Canada to pull out of the Olympics and prevent their athletes from competing. Many LGBT athletes have already decided to boycott independently. Their hope is that if they can convince the international community to shun the Olympics, Russia will be forced to make a change to the law.
However, the majority of athletes, spectators, and politicians have agreed that a boycott would be counter-productive. Patrick Burke, the founder of You Can Play, an organization dedicated to making sports a safer place for LGBT athletes, is one of the many prominent faces speaking out against the idea of a boycott. They feel that it's simply unfair for athletes to lose their big moment to shine over a political issue - after all, they're athletes, not world political leaders. Instead, athletes who are against the anti-gay laws can use the Olympics as a chance to push the issue into the spotlight by speaking up to journalists, wearing a rainbow pin, or even painting their nails in rainbow colors. And once the Olympics are done, sport's governing bodies such as the IOC can refuse to allow international competitions to be held in Russia until the laws are repealed.While many countries have not responded to the call for boycotts, United States President Barack Obama has announced that while he is very much against the Russian laws, the United States will still participate in the 2014 Olympics.
This year, the Russian Parliament passed a law making anything perceived as "pro-gay" to be illegal. Whether you are LGBT, a straight ally, or even someone caught holding hands in public with someone of the same sex, you can be sent to prison. This intolerance is nothing new to Russia - LGBT people are frequently harassed and abused there, and Russian police look the other way when this sort of violence occurs.
With next year's Olympics set to be held in Sochi, Russia, many wondered about how this law would affect the games. The athletes planning to participate in the Olympic Games have some very different opinions on the law. Athletes from gay-friendly countries such as Canada and Sweden have expressed that they do not support the law. However, many Russian athletes have publicly announced their support for the law. Other sources have said that Russian athletes who do not support the anti-gay laws are under a tremendous amount of pressure to keep quiet for fear of their families' well-being.
With all the controversy surrounding the law, many have proposed a boycott of the 2014 Olympics. They have compared Russia’s actions to Germany’s during the 1936 Olympics, when Germany began to pass anti-Semitic laws prior to the Holocaust. They feel that Putin is repeating this crime, but this time against LGBT Russians. Their solution is for countries such as England, the United States, and Canada to pull out of the Olympics and prevent their athletes from competing. Many LGBT athletes have already decided to boycott independently. Their hope is that if they can convince the international community to shun the Olympics, Russia will be forced to make a change to the law.
However, the majority of athletes, spectators, and politicians have agreed that a boycott would be counter-productive. Patrick Burke, the founder of You Can Play, an organization dedicated to making sports a safer place for LGBT athletes, is one of the many prominent faces speaking out against the idea of a boycott. They feel that it's simply unfair for athletes to lose their big moment to shine over a political issue - after all, they're athletes, not world political leaders. Instead, athletes who are against the anti-gay laws can use the Olympics as a chance to push the issue into the spotlight by speaking up to journalists, wearing a rainbow pin, or even painting their nails in rainbow colors. And once the Olympics are done, sport's governing bodies such as the IOC can refuse to allow international competitions to be held in Russia until the laws are repealed.While many countries have not responded to the call for boycotts, United States President Barack Obama has announced that while he is very much against the Russian laws, the United States will still participate in the 2014 Olympics.
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| Swedish pole vaulter Emma Green Tregaro attracted attention at the World Championships for painting her nails rainbow colors in protest of Russia's anti-gay laws London activists protest against Russia's new anti-gay laws  Gay figure skater Johnny Weir plans to protest Russia's anti-gay laws by competing in the Olympics and winning a gold medal. "If they arrest me, so be it."  Kseniya Ryzhova kisses Yulia Guschina on the podium at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow. |
