Russia to arrest pro-gay Olympic Athletes

[ironbite]

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/30/russia-anti-gay-olympic-games-sochi_n_3676311.html

Despite assurance by the International Olympic Committee July 26 that attendees of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi would not be held under the jurisdiction of Russia's anti-gay legislation, the law's co-sponsor is now articulating a different set of circumstances. Vitaly Milonov, the politician responsible for the "gay propaganda" ban in St. Petersburg later adopted by the country as a whole, claims that the law cannot be selectively enforced nor suspended.

In an interview with Interfax, Milonov stated:

I haven’t heard any comments from the government of the Russian Federation, but I know that it is acting in accordance with Russian law. And 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.
In effect, it seems as if foreign athletes and spectators at the 2014 Olympic Games will, in fact, be subject to the legalities of Russia's recent stream of anti-LGBT legislation. Signed into law by President Vladimir Putin on June 30, the legislation gives the Russian government agency to detain gay or "pro-gay" foreigners up to 14 days before facing expulsion from the country.

Perhaps most disturbing out of this recent interview with Milonov is the claim that he has "spoken with many American politicians" and that "they support the stance I’ve taken on this issue." He also cites support from German legislators surrounding the anti-gay crackdown.

This is rather disturbing but I figured it would happen.  Russia does not give fuck one about what's going on in the rest of the world.  All they want to do is keep the gays not as second-class citizens but as non-entities in an effort to...well I have not clue what these laws are gonna do but damn it we need to take a stand.

No American involvement in the 2014 Winter Games.  That would be taking a stand.  Sadly it'll never happen.

Ironbite-cause who gives a damn about people being persecuted for something that defines them.

[Dakota Bob]

Russia is really degenerating into a shithole lately.

[Witchyjoshy]

Russia is really degenerating into a shithole lately.

At least for us gays, bis, and lesbians and our allies.  I don't even know what Russia thinks of transpeople yet.

It's too bad I don't watch the Olympics, otherwise I'd abstain from watching it in 2014.  As it stands now, though, I'll just be doing what I've done with every Olympics game.

[Leafy]

I never watch the Olympics anyway...

[Valerius]

I don't watch the games either. To be honest, I just don't see what the appeal is.

[JohnE]

I love the olympics. It's one of the few sporting events I actually watch.

[Osama bin Bambi]

But what about the Olympic orgy?

[Cerim Treascair]

Only reason I watch the olympics is for fencing.  Beyond that, it can fuck off.


And I'm pretty sure if Russia tried to arrest any member of the American Olympic team, there'd be some ass kicking going on.

[Radiation]

I don't watch the games either and as far as Russia is concerned, haven't they been sliding down this way for a while now?

[lord gibbon]

You know, ever since they chose Russia as the host, I've been expecting something like this. Ever since Putin the would-be Czar took over, that country has just been getting rotten. What does it say when I'm honestly expecting the impoverished and crime-ridden city of Rio to be a better Olympic host than the entire nation of Russia?

Also, I seem to be unlike a lot of you in that I enjoy the Olympics. I don't even enjoy most organized sports, but there's something about the wonderful international spirit that I just love. Trust Putin to screw all that up.

[Søren]

Only interest i ever had in the olympics was when it went to london and went psycho with the branding and copyright laws.

And lgbt laws there are messed up, being gay was only declared to not be a mental ilness in 1999, however being transgender there is legal and you have the right to officially change it on paper

[Alehksunos]

I've actually expected worse events to happen in the 2014 Olympics. Consider it's hosted in Sochi, a town close to the Caucasus and separatist states like Chechnya (which there will never be a nice day there again as far as I know), my fears have been terrorist attacks by organizations brutally disenchanted by the national policy of Russia and Vladimir Putin. But now we have a problem that I feel the National Olympics Committee would legitimately pull away the host city, that being the government-led discrimination and dehumanization of homosexuals and even the plans to lead homosexual or pro-gay athletes to imprisonment, or worse than being in a Russian prison: torture and death. For the sexual preference or not being openly hostile to homosexuals.

Also, I'll just leave this here: It's nice to know there are more people here who enjoy watching the Olympics when the games are on, and I don't like sporting events.

[Stormwarden]

The Russians are being idiots if they don't think this will cause them any problems down the line. It's almost like they're TRYING to start something. I really hope they don't arrest anyone in the Olympics over this stupid law. That's to say nothing of the bordering areas that might cause other problems.

And to the makers of that stupid law, if there were a hell, I'd throw you into it.

[Sylvana]

This may just be me playing devils advocate, but would we be having this discussion if the Olympic games were say held in Saudi Arabia? They treat gays far worse than the Russian laws do, not to mention how they treat 50% of the worlds population. I doubt we would suddenly expect them to suspend their laws because of the Olympics. Perhaps we expect it because in a country like Russia there is still a large degree of freedom of speech, while at the same time these laws are quite new that we expect their laws to no longer matter.

I think the only reason why such a consideration should be made is if the selection of Russia for the Olympics was done before the new law, and had such a law existed before hand it would have excluded Russia from selection. In which case the only option is to just up and change locations denying Russia the right to host.

As much as we may hate these laws, and think they are supremely stupid, we must respect another nations right to self determination.

[kefkaownsall]

This may just be me playing devils advocate, but would we be having this discussion if the Olympic games were say held in Saudi Arabia? They treat gays far worse than the Russian laws do, not to mention how they treat 50% of the worlds population. I doubt we would suddenly expect them to suspend their laws because of the Olympics. Perhaps we expect it because in a country like Russia there is still a large degree of freedom of speech, while at the same time these laws are quite new that we expect their laws to no longer matter.

I think the only reason why such a consideration should be made is if the selection of Russia for the Olympics was done before the new law, and had such a law existed before hand it would have excluded Russia from selection. In which case the only option is to just up and change locations denying Russia the right to host.

As much as we may hate these laws, and think they are supremely stupid, we must respect another nations right to self determination.

However usually Saudi Arabia (at least Qatar) would not arrest gay players from different countries.  And while true the respect thing can only truly apply in a democracy and Russia is not