Comments

1
fucking repulsive.
2
Trying to get the Olympics moved is a pointless endeavor. It is far too late at this point, no matter how noble or just the cause is. I would like nothing more than moving the Olympics, but it is not going to happen.

The IOC is not going to cancel the Olympics. They were fine with having them in China, and China has around a million politcal prisoners in secret government run concentration camps.

All focus needs to be shifted to getting the 2018 World Cup moved out of Russia, while there is still time to have a meaningful impact on it, and of course all the boycotts and protests that are happening now.

3
What a colossal shit show.

@2: I am going to disagree with you on one point. The work for a Olympic boycott should be done, *even* if it is not successful. The more pressure we can bring to bear, the more publicity that gets shone on this horrorfest, the better. I think you are correct, the IOC will not move the Olympics, but it also means that we shouldn't try.
4
Can this get any more heartbreaking? I'm just sitting here in tears of pain and anguish over all this! This is beyond cruel. This is inhumane.
5
How much more will it take to get athletes to start to decide that they'd rather not go?
6
@2: Fair enough, you are right about the fact that pressuring the IOC hard now may make them think harder about the state of human rights when choosing venues in the future.

I should amend my point by saying that pressuring the IOC to think harder about where they stage the Olympics is a good thing and not a waste of time, but if one is going to spend serious time or resources on the issue, it should be primarily directed at moving the 2018 World Cup, which is an attainable goal, whereas moving the 2014 Olympics is not.
7
How about pressuring NBC. Their coverage is going to suck so maybe it's an empty threat not to watch, but do they really want to be talking about human rights abuses before and after each event.

Say, popular Olympic figure skater, did your children accompany you to Sochi or were you too worried they would be shuffled off to a Russian orphanage while you were at Lenin's tomb?
8
This is damn serious. As a gay man with a kid living in Russia, I'm scared shittless. I wasn't really worried about that propaganda law - hell, I can pay that fine, not a big deal. But now it is much much worse. I can't lose my daughter. I'll be forced into emigration, which I don't want, or back into the closet, which I don't want either - it took me too much pain and effort to come out.
9
On Saturday the IOC votes whether to have the 2020 Summer Olympics in Instanbul, Madrid, or Tokyo... Sadly I haven't heard much on how the IOC is facing heat to award the 2020 games to a country that acknowledges LGBT rights.
10
Dan - Unfortunately no, we can't talk about moving the Olympics. We can discuss a country or athlete boycott (I'm not in favor of that, the window is just too short for some athletes, but it's a viable conversation), but not moving the actual Games and here's why.

There's just no time to make that happen. Yes, there are other cities that have venues available (Vancouver could probably juggle everything to clear the venues' schedules), but they don't have the infrastructure. Even if all the venues are available, where would the athletes (and coachs and trainers and support staff, etc.) stay? Would you ask folks now leaving in what was once the athlete's village to move out? Then there's the volunteers. It takes tens of thousands of volunteers to put on an Olympics. They usher, they take tickets, the stand on courses, and do a hundred other jobs, where would you get those people from (and train them, etc.)?

So, no, we can't really talk about moving the 2014 Games. Other options, yes, and we should have to conversations, but moving the Games is off the table.
11
This has been up for nearly 3 hours already, and still no posts from you-know-who explaining why this is OK/gays deserve it/it's none of our business/they chose this for themselves when they chose this lifestyle?

Weird.
13
Obama doesn't have the same balls that Carter had: The US isn't going to push to move the Olympics or boycott them. There's too much corporate money involved and Obama's gotta play nice to the corporate masters who are going to pay him well come January 2017
14
On the other hand, Olympic coverage will keep the glare of the media on the persecution going on.
15
It's too bad it doesn't come up until the last fifth or so of the interview, but Jeffrey Buttle (who apparently had been out for quite some time but was just such a non-seeker of notoriety that he flew well under the radar - perhaps assisted by the intense focus on Mr Weir, who even drew Mr Savage's notice before taking the plunge), though now content with coaching and choreographing, has a much better take on Russia than that of Mr Abbott. The Youtube postslash is

watch?v=3Vr6_rb7iRc&t=0m39s

The pertinent part comes up at nearly 58:00 in, though.
16
Just yesterday, there were reports that Putin having to discuss the issue proved the pressure was working. The IOC has to take a stand, and maybe that is the point proposing something so horrific and de-humanizing.
17
A country's leader tells bald-faced lies while making a half-assed sop to decency to the international community, only to be proven a liar by his own administration's actions the very next day...has Putin been studying tapes of Bush Jr.?
18
@14 I agree.
19
SeattleBlues, this is where you come in and defend this latest bit of bigotry. I'll help you out: "Christianity says love your neighbor as you love yourself, so I think we should take our neighbors' kids away and put them in the wonderful Russian orphanage system where they'll have a much brighter future than they would have had with those loving parents whose sexual practices I disapprove of."
20
Economic harm is going to be the most effective punishment. Let Russia keep the 2014 Olympics, and let our athletes attend. But all spectators need to boycott. All sponsors need to take a stand or themselves be boycotted. NBC needs to put pressure on Russia, or they can expect viewership of the Olympics to drop dramatically.

We need to keep the spotlight bright on this shit. Keep the media attention focused. Keep up the protests, keep up the boycotts on all Russian products. Keep tourism away.

Our governments won't act unless we force them to. Keep telling our legislators how we feel, and what we expect of them. This is the only thing that will force Russia to change.
21
@8 - Moscow-fag, your post made me cry. Wishing the very best for you and your daughter.
22
Here's an Action Item ...

We enlist LGBT and Allied partners to organize a sort of "Underground Railroad" for Russian LGBT kids and their families. Crowdsource the Community for all kinds of support. Ensure they are politically "Seeking Asylum" so the Government can approve of the Human Rights issue and allow them to dwell in our Nation. Right here in Seattle is a large Russian community as Microsoft hires the best and brightest. All this just came to me as I typed. Does this sound too far fetched. I am prepared to take a lead on this but need feedback. Thoughts? Thanks much!!
23
@21 The worst part of it is that I can't afford to stand up against this law. The stakes are too high. I can pay the fine for "propaganda", I can do a 15 days jail term, not really a big deal, I'm quite prepared to do this, and the company I work for will ignore this and they won't fire me for being a "criminal". But when it comes to losing my parenthood, I just have to shut the fuck up. I can't risk it.

I count on you, the straight Allies, the LGBT people of the free countries. Please, please, I implore you to stand up against this. Whatever it takes. Olympics, G20, the World Cup, anything. Please. It does help. Please keep string to pot.
24
Regardless of the time issue the efforts to move the Games must continue. Sponsors and yes, even individual athletes should be lobbied vigorously to not participate in Sochi. NBC should be flooded with phone calls, e-mails and protests at the Rock to back out of broadcasting the Games from Sochi. Our voices will be heard even if the Games don't move. It will be clear that a price will be paid by those who participate in giving a world stage to hateful bigots.

To Moscow Fag.... please get out now while you still have your daughter. When the hammer falls, it will fall without much warning and you may be trapped.
25
@23 - My heart aches for you so much right now. We'll keep the pressure on.
26
I have to say that I get all atingle with jingoism when I see American athletes doing well at the games. Certainly the US media is capable of telling a great, tear inducing story replete with soaring background score to tell one story of triumph after another.

But if the IOC allows these games to go on in Russian, and I've no doubt that they will, then for me they will have tarnished their reputation for the remainder of my lifespan. Don't think it can happen? What does anyone think of the powerhouse that used to be Penn State football. (I'm not equating anything with the despicable acts of Jerry Sandusky.) My point is that no reputation is so solid that it can survive a shit storm of a certain magnitude.
27
@8: I'm horrified by your post.

I know you don't want to leave your home, and you shouldn't have to. But if you have to, I'm pretty sure the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, the Netherlands, and several other countries would be happy to offer you and your daughter asylum. Good luck.
28
#8 Good luck. Do what you can for the best interests of your daughter which is not losing you. Get out if you have to. There are many here who support you. Just so you know I am a heterosexual woman who has watched every winter Olympics since the 1970's. This year I will not be watching them. This will be made clear to the advertisers.
29
Is there anything we can do to use the Olympics to smuggle people out of Russia?

I'm honestly not kidding here. If it's too late to move the Olympics, is there any way that people could use it to their advantage?
30
This proposal is criminal.

It is as criminal as Washington State law was until 1982, when children could be taken away from any parent who had scored less than 80 on an I.Q. test.

It is as criminal as Washington State law was until 1975 when foster children had to be moved every 90 days to prevent bonding.
31
#8/23 - Get out. My grandmother's parents and uncle were the only three of their entire family to get out of Russia in 1903. Everyone else stayed, and died in the pogroms. It sounds like another round of pogroms are coming, and there aren't enough Jews left to slaughter.
32
@Moscow_fag

This is horrible. I hope my country will grant asylum to your family and others like yours, but I'd much rather you weren't forced to leave. I'll do everything in my power to put pressure on Russia's government...

@lolorhone re-leaders lying : it comes with the territory in any country where the leader knows he/she won't ever be held accountable to the people. Has Bush ever been held accountable ? He has been reelected. And he has even been recently granted immunity from foreign prosecution as well, by the next administration. Leaders lie whenever they can get away with it... Putin, Assad, Bush can certainly get away with it, and have.
33
If Russia thinks it is going to get away with this draconian bull shit , it had better think again.

The fight for gay and human rights will never stop, but it will and is growing ever stronger..

What Iron curtain....

Brother Philip
LONDON
UK

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