Gay Athletes and the 2014 Winter Olympics

[LSN80]

Openly gay speedskater, Blake Skjellerup, has already pledged to wear a Rainbow Pin during the 2014 Winter Olympics games. And it could lead to fines, or even imprisonment, for him.

http://abcnews.go.com/International...etes-prosecuted-2014-winter/story?id=19829868

Russia is not the most tolerant country in the World when it comes to homosexuality, going as far as to ban public displays of affection, or wearing of a Rainbow Flag, which symbolizes gay pride. And while not the top lawmaker in the land, the sponsor of the legislation put into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin that cracks down so heavily against homosexuals, Vitaly Milonov, had the following to say regarding the Winter Olympics, set to commence in Russia in 2014:

"Public actions (including dissemination of information, statements, displays, or perceived conspicuous behavior) contradicting or appearing to contradict such laws may lead to arrest, prosecution, and the imposition of a fine. If a law has been approved by the federal legislature and signed by the president, then the government has no right to suspend it. It doesn't have the authority."

As a short history lesson, anti-gay sentiment has always been high and an issue in Russia. In the former Soviet union, homosexuality was illegal altogether until just 1993, and the government could institutionalize homosexuals in psychiatric wards until 1999. To this day, marriage is forbidden, and gay rights rallies are met largely with physical violence from its opposition, with the police either ignoring the violence-against-homosexuals, or arresting the gay-rights activists.

So it seems gay athletes and fans who travel to Moscow may not only face fines or imprisonment, but violence as well, does it not? The International Olympic Committee(IOC) is attempting, without confirmation, to assure all three things don't happen. In an emailed statement, the IOC said the following:

"This legislation has just been passed into law and it remains to be seen whether and how it will be implemented, particularly as regards the Games in Sochi. The IOC has received assurances from the highest level of government in Russia that the legislation will not affect those attending or taking part in the Games. We continues to urge that the games take place without discrimination against athletes, officials, spectators and the media."

Despite apparent assurances, the threat of fine and imprisonment is not one fans and athletes are immune from, if lawmaker Mironov is to be believed. The U.S. Olympic Committee has sent a letter to its own athletes, warning them about the law and about taking precautions as they aren't clear how and to what degree the law will be enforced.

While it's over a year away, given Russia's history, it seems homosexual athletes and fans who travel to see the games are destined for some unpleasantness, doesn't it?

Other thoughts on this story?

 

[Davi323]

The poll says participate, not participate openly. I can guarantee that there will homosexual athletes at the olympics, from numerous countries...maybe even from Russia itself. That doesn't mean they should advertise their sexual orientation and try to flaunt it, given Russia's attitude, maybe keep it more on the down low. But they will be there.

 

[Gelgarin]

This looks suspiciously like the non-spam section, but since I've lived in Russia and have a persistent interest in LGBT rights around the world, this is probably about as close to my field as anything not containing the initials NWA is ever going to get on this forum.

Russia's federal law on "Homosexual Propaganda" isn't terribly relevant here, since the games are being held in Krasnador, which adopted similar policies around twelve months ago. It is worth nothing that these laws are pretty empty - the vast majority of Oblasts failed to provide any kind of framework alongside the laws specifying what exactly "homosexual propaganda" is, which sounds very scary, but in actuality has rendered such laws too toothless to be reliably enforced. To the best of my knowledge, not one person has been prosecuted since 2006 (when the first such piece of legislation was passed). It's more an exercise in winning support from working class males then an attempt to engineer any legitimate social shift.

The bigger cities in Russia, particularly Moscow and St Petersburg, have active and visible gay communities, and whilst the majority of the Russian people could reliably be said to oppose homosexuality, much of the country is equally opposed to discrimination against them. Since the conflict with the Nazis, Russia is seen by many of its educated inhabitants as nation of equality (Which it is obviously is not, though they do have a rather good historical record on women's rights). I only interacted with a small portion of the society in a small area of the country, but I feel fairly confident in my analysis that the affluent sections of Russian society are considerably more liberal than their government. I had to call my boss a hateful bigot for her views towards gay men, but she's pretty much the only one.

The problem stems from Russia having an abundance of economically and politically disenfranchised working class males. Russia is effectively a one party state, and a disenfranchised populace invariably moves towards the far right or far left of the political spectrum. With Russia's post soviet legacy, there's only really one direction the people are going to go, and over the past few decades inner-city, working class males have become spectacularly right wing, to the point where many now border on neo-fascists. If you want to see some evidence of this, take a look at the crowd during a Zenit St Petersburg football match - you'll see something that would make the UK skinheads of forty years ago proclaim "I say, steady on." You've also got the rapid rise of Russian Orthodoxy, which is achieving something of a resurgence since the fall of the Soviet Union. Putin has worked hard to bring the church back into the state, probably because it promotes order - which in 90% of Putin's social agenda.

The random crackings of the whip against gay people are primarily a way of throwing these groups a bone in order to keep them in check. In the UK the Tories legalized gay marriage to try and distract everyone from the sweeping cuts they were making to public services - this is pretty much the reverse of that.

Now, since the Olympic Games were mentioned in the opening, I might as well mention what will happen there. Very little is the short version. Numerous openly gay athletes will compete, and at least one person will make some public gesture upon winning a medal that will be overlooked. A few groups of protesters (mostly foreign) will manage to launch some small demonstrations that the authorities will do everything in their power to ignore, stepping in only if violence looks probable.

Anglo-American athletes will need to significantly more careful than those of any other nation. The Sochi games are already turning into a significant PR disaster for the Russian administration with corruption widely reported and, more importantly, Russian athletes looking unlikely to perform to the expected standard. It's not uncommon for both Russia and the US to start intentional incidents with one another on purpose when they're looking for a quick boost to public support, though I'd consider it unlikely in the context of the games. Russia's going to want this kind of event again in the future, and they know that they won't get it if they lock up athletes or spay water cannon at crowds of gay people.

Does that answer the question?

 

[Con T.]

The poll says participate, not participate openly. I can guarantee that there will homosexual athletes at the olympics, from numerous countries...maybe even from Russia itself. That doesn't mean they should advertise their sexual orientation and try to flaunt it, given Russia's attitude, maybe keep it more on the down low. But they will be there.

Why shouldn't they?

It's as much a show of support as it is an advertisement. In fact... That's kinda insulting to me, won't lie. You can call it what you want, but it is clearly a showing of support for a community that is currently going through plenty of discrimination (especially in a community that is still widely unaccepting of the gay community).


So why should they try to hide it?

 

[Mac Attack]

So why should they try to hide it?

I'm probably barking up the wrong tree here as this is a sensitive subject however I can agree with the Russian government and the opinion of Davi.

Now whilst discrimination in no way shape or form should happen in an altruistic world the fact is that it does happen and there's no argument agains that. It is evident that a Russian Law is forbidding such displays and therefore the people attending the events in the designated country should follow the rules. Now whilst I'm sure we all agree this is unfair it's the rules and therefore they should be allowed.

Personally, I feel like athletes (at the Olympics) shouldn't be allowed to express this particular attribute of their lives. Sure it is "bringing awareness to discrimination" however an African American athlete won't wear a black ribbon, a Chinese a yellow ribbon, an illiterate person a book themed ribbon. There's a lot of discrimination in the world. The above three are subjective to nationality and race, would you like all of them to wear ribbons bringing attention to discrimination. Heck even white people get discriminated by other races, maybe white people should wear ribbons. And even more so gay people discriminate against straight people. I'm sure straight people should protest too. Actually to follow this logic why not just have people wear ribbons for every discrimination they face? It's because it's unpractical and quite frankly unnececcesary.

The Olympics are about uniting a world through "sport" not let's hold a rally against discrimination. So why shouldn't gay people be able to flaunt their lifestyle? Because quite frankly there are far worse and more atrocities in the world and there is no need for everyone to be "displaying how the world is unfair to them."

 

[Con T.]

I'm probably barking up the wrong tree here as this is a sensitive subject however I can agree with the Russian government and the opinion of Davi.

Now whilst discrimination in no way shape or form should happen in an altruistic world the fact is that it does happen and there's no argument agains that. It is evident that a Russian Law is forbidding such displays and therefore the people attending the events in the designated country should follow the rules. Now whilst I'm sure we all agree this is unfair it's the rules and therefore they should be allowed.

Personally, I feel like athletes (at the Olympics) shouldn't be allowed to express this particular attribute of their lives. Sure it is "bringing awareness to discrimination" however an African American athlete won't wear a black ribbon, a Chinese a yellow ribbon, an illiterate person a book themed ribbon. There's a lot of discrimination in the world. The above three are subjective to nationality and race, would you like all of them to wear ribbons bringing attention to discrimination. Heck even white people get discriminated by other races, maybe white people should wear ribbons. And even more so gay people discriminate against straight people. I'm sure straight people should protest too. Actually to follow this logic why not just have people wear ribbons for every discrimination they face? It's because it's unpractical and quite frankly unnececcesary.

The Olympics are about uniting a world through "sport" not let's hold a rally against discrimination. So why shouldn't gay people be able to flaunt their lifestyle? Because quite frankly there are far worse and more atrocities in the world and there is no need for everyone to be "displaying how the world is unfair to them."

I have no idea where to begin with this drivel; perhaps expressing my hope that your stint away from prison doesn't last long.

First, it isn't as though statements are made at sporting events like the Olympics...

Second, I don't get your point that there are atrocities, so we shouldn't highlight a unity in the gay community. And let's not get it twisted; there's a fine line between "being unfair" and what the gay community has dealt with, even today.

What you're basically saying is that the gay community should accept discrimination, right in front of the entire world.

Yeah, sod off with that

 

[Mac Attack]

I have no idea where to begin with this drivel; perhaps expressing my hope that your stint away from prison doesn't last long.

I disagreed with you, your offended because of your personal bias. Chill out.

First, it isn't as though statements are made at sporting events like the Olympics...

Of course statements are made at the Olympics, I never said they're not. But it all depends on the scenario. Sure you have someone like Jesse Owens making history. Sure it was a great thing for African American rights. But I don't believe I saw an ribbon on him. He came out won and showed he was good enough. He made a statement through sports. Not a fashion statement which if you actually read the initial article was the entire point of the controversy in the OP. If someone goes out wins an event and does something like thanking the gay community for inspiration... Great... But go out there and win and make a point there's no need for simply a fashion statement.

Second, I don't get your point that there are atrocities, so we shouldn't highlight a unity in the gay community. And let's not get it twisted; there's a fine line between "being unfair" and what the gay community has dealt with, even today.

You don't get my point. Let's me make it clear: only about 10 percent of the world is suspected to be gay. You look at the percentages of obesity, African American, illiterate, poor, and they all are higher than gay. My point was that comparatively all these other things which are or have been discriminated against aren't making a peep. It's the Olympics, it's not some uber charitable event, it's a sporting event. There are several other forums to discuss discrimination I don't feel the Olympics are one.

Oh and here's this point. IT'S AGAINST THE LAW... So whilst I don't already believe the Olympics is a place for discrimination to be discussed but gay discrimination is against the wall. Should it be. No, but it is so people should just accept it.

What you're basically saying is that the gay community should accept discrimination, right in front of the entire world.

Is discrimination the same thing as breaking a law. It's a law. In several places in the world it's legal in others it's not. There's a lot of things in Russia that are "illegal" that aren't illegal in other places. If the gay community wants respect, respect the laws that are established. Show that they are strong. No need to make a fuss over an established rule.

Yeah, sod off with that

Oh come on. I respect the gay community. I respect equal rights. I respect law and order and making a statement through actions, not fashion statements.

 

[Davi323]

Zeus, I think all Macios and I are saying is to pick your battles, and that perhaps the Olympics is not the best battlefield for that particular issue. There is a difference between being comfortable with who you are and intentionally trying to provoke someone. Unless being gay affects your athletic performance, most people don't give a shit if you are gay or straight. I seem to remember Martina Navretilova coming out as a lesbian over 30 years ago. Nobody gave a damn. The only thing people cared about were her matches with Chris Evert. What are these athletes going to prove exactly? Do you think that wearing a rainbow ribbon for a few weeks will suddenly cause a change in Russian domestic policy? That's George Takei's job. We don't like it when athletes, gay or straight, try to be political pundits, they just come across as fools. Why? Because that isn't what we expect or want from them. We expect them to play their sport, that's all. A gay Olympian has one job. And it is the same job as the straight Olympians...win medals. They have enough pressure on them already, why add to it unnecessarily? And frankly, I don't give damn if you are insulted or not. If you take everything personally, you are going to spend an awful lot of time feeling insulted. Deal with it. Disagreement =/= end of the fuckin world. Stop being such a damn victim. If you actually understood what true persecution was, you wouldn't dare try to equate Jesse Owens with wearing a rainbow ribbon.

 

[Mustang Sally]

So why shouldn't gay people be able to flaunt their lifestyle?

Flaunt? Interesting choice of verbs: the dictionary refers to "flaunt" as to parade oneself ostentatiously...to show off (Dolph Ziggler would approve). But the poster who mentioned choosing your battles wisely was on the mark.

The hosting country has made clear it's position on these matters and people who want to "flaunt" their lifestyle and views do so at their own risk, no? Personally, I believe in a person's right to express themselves, but if the danger of doing so in a certain setting is to risk your life and/or welfare for a result that isn't going to make much of a splash, is it really worth treading through that particular minefield at that particular venue?

If it is....go for it, I suppose. Just remember: Russia isn't America and the freedoms afforded here aren't necessarily open to you there.

 

[Merwin]

I Hear there's a vote going on, people wanting to move the 2014 games to Vancouver, hopefully that happens, but as for the question in the thread topic, no i would not risk going to to the Olympic games if i was a gay athlete, some homophobes in Russia wont just Verbally abuse LGBT People, they may attack which may be the same for alot of Homophobes no matter what country but Russia isn't really known for a country full of marriage equality supporters and some people may be so against it i would have a higher chance to be attacked then if i was in america

One Last thing: They plan to arrest Gay athletes that display homosexuality, yes cause its proven that Going to jail totally stops Homosexuality acts....

 

[MCMG]

Athletes and professional sportsman/women are always going to receive abuse but at the end of the day their job is to perform for their country and to fulfil their dreams. These athletes have trained extremely hard and should enjoy their moment. I honestly think that they have nothing to fear, I really doubt that authorities would allow anything serious to happen.

If they focus on performing then everything else will take care of itself. If homosexual athletes try to antagonise people then it will only become more of an issue. I'm positive that if they just focus on the Winter Olympics it will be almost be a non-issue.

 

[LSN80]

Athletes and professional sportsman/women are always going to receive abuse but at the end of the day their job is to perform for their country and to fulfil their dreams. These athletes have trained extremely hard and should enjoy their moment. I honestly think that they have nothing to fear, I really doubt that authorities would allow anything serious to happen.

Because we've never seen incidents happen at the games before, have we? Nope, nothing but peaceful affairs . We've only seen boycotts, riots, rivals having their ex-spouses attack their competition, and bombings.

In a place where it's essentially illegal to be publically homosexual, how can you possibly make a statement that 'nothing serious will happen', when the police are the ones in the country notorious for allowing attacks on homosexuals, then arresting them, not those that attack them?

Further, it's not their "job" to perform at the Olympic games. Athletes are forbidden from being compensated for performing in the games, so they're doing it for pride. Shouldn't part of that pride be in who they are as people?

If they focus on performing then everything else will take care of itself. If homosexual athletes try to antagonise people then it will only become more of an issue. I'm positive that if they just focus on the Winter Olympics it will be almost be a non-issue.

How is wanting to ensure their safety being that of antagonism? The only current statements that have been issued were first done by a Russian lawmaker, who said he couldn't ensure that homosexual athletes won't be fined or arrested. It's such a large issue that the U.S. sent out warnings to all their athletes already to be extra careful in terms of the security measures they take.

How is it "antagonism" by wanting to perform and not have to hide who they are as human beings? Isn't the Olympics supposed to be a showing of unity and triumph of the human spirit?

It's hard to show either when you're living in fear because of what may happen to you because of your sexual orientation. To say "just go out there, compete and don't antagonize" is essentially saying "Pretend you don't have rights to be yourself as a human being."

I don't know about you, but I'm not comfortable with that at all.

 

[MCMG]

Perhaps I'm being optimistic but I just feel that a major sporting event the likelihood of the authorities attacking homosexuals. I'm not an expert on the region but I'd hope there would be minimum hostility towards athletes and fans alike. Indeed, by the time of the Winter Olympics I think there would hopefully be a shift in the nations stance and they will become more tolerant, even if it is for just a few weeks.

Like I said, I'm being optimistic but I just don't feel that a situation could arise where there would be arrests on people who are homosexual during the Olympics. The Russians are in the public eye and will act accordingly - it is difficult to predict what will happen after the Winter Olympics but hopefully it will help them become more tolerant.

What I meant by "antagonise" is that if people wear the Rainbow Pin in Russia it is deliberately hostile. I'm all for taking a stand against homophobic actions but surely there are more wise alternatives.

 

[Xemmy]

Oh and here's this point. IT'S AGAINST THE LAW... So whilst I don't already believe the Olympics is a place for discrimination to be discussed but gay discrimination is against the wall. Should it be. No, but it is so people should just accept it.



Is discrimination the same thing as breaking a law. It's a law. In several places in the world it's legal in others it's not. There's a lot of things in Russia that are "illegal" that aren't illegal in other places. If the gay community wants respect, respect the laws that are established. Show that they are strong. No need to make a fuss over an established rule.



Oh come on. I respect the gay community. I respect equal rights. I respect law and order and making a statement through actions, not fashion statements.

Something being against the law isn't the same as it being moral or right. If you don't like a law, I encourage you, and anyone else to stand against it. The homosexual community isn't going to get any respect from respecting laws that they don't agree with. Rosa Parks broke the law to show that it was unjust. And it got everyone's attention. And eventually those laws were changed. (Cliche comparison, but perfectly relevant)

It shouldn't be against the law to show who you are, point blank. And to that end, I hope as many of them break that law as possible. And a fashion statement may be exactly what's needed. They're going to try and win medals regardless of the country, doing something different to stand up to discrimination is what's called for. That's what shows people that you're strong. Being who you are, even if you might be punished for it.

Now, I don't want them punished. I don't want chaos to be caused, or for anyone to get hurt. That thought is terrible. But the athletes shouldn't have to hide who they are either. And if they decide to make a fashion statement or even an actual on mic statement, I hope the best for them. We'll just have to see what happens.