There isn't anything really new on the front of Russian homophobia today. Nothing new from the IOC or NBC, and the boycotts of Russian vodka are spreading. People within the Russian government are doing what they can to reinforce the homophobic policies of the government as they would be applied to the Sochi Olympics (h/t John Aravosis). And today, Dave Zirin, who writes very intelligently about sports for The Nation, published a long article in the Grantland section of espn.com. about gay rights and the Sochi Olympics. Again, nothing we haven't seen about current events before, but since the article mentions John Carlos in the first paragraph, you know that this will provide context for the ways in which the Olympics can and have been used to highlight and to protest social issues.
Zirin begins with the Harvey Fierstein op ed piece I wrote about on Tuesday of last week, and fills in some of the blanks Fierstein left about Putin, most notably the close ties Putin and our last President had. In case you forgot:
The man our previous president lovingly nicknamed "Pootie Poot" (wish I were kidding) also approved legislation that hands out two-week jail sentences for any tourist suspected of being gay. (Four Dutch tourists were in fact recently arrested for "suspicion of promoting homosexuality to children.")
Under Russian law, Vladimir Putin could now legally arrest the Pope.
Zirin reminds us that Fierstein called for the IOC to threaten a boycott if the laws were not repealed, and notes that at least one LGBT activist group in Russia (23 activists) called for a boycott as well. This has been criticized, and
as I suggested yesterday,, rightfully so.
Leading Russian LGBT activist Nikolai Alekseyev has instead announced the organizing of a Sochi Pride March to coincide with the opening of the Winter Games on February 7. Alekseyev has a particular credibility to call for a demonstration. His effort to open a Sochi Pride House during the Games — a resource center and safe space for LGBT athletes — was struck down by the Russian Justice Ministry.
Zirin notes that there were pride houses at both the 2012 Vancouver Olympcs and the 2012 London Olympics, and adds
When Russia disallowed Alekseyev's efforts to open one in Sochi, the IOC did not say a word in his defense.
And Sochi, which is on the Black Sea, almost in the country of Georgia, isn't the most likely place for a Winter Olympics to be held anyway. Zirin thinks that connecting Sochi to the attacks on the LGBT community is politically VERY smart because the circumstances involved with Sochi might be very damaging to Putin's regime:
These Winter Games, to be held for reasons that still make no sense in Sochi's subtropical climate, are going to be more expensive than any other Games — summer or winter — in history. Due primarily to shady no-bid construction contracts for Putin's business allies, $30 billion in public funds have simply disappeared. This isn't an Olympics. It's more like a heist. The almighty Putin is looking more with each passing day like this guy: attacking the LGBT community in a cheap effort to turn attention away from rampant corruption and growing inequality, symbolized sharply by what's happening in Sochi.
So to boycotts. 1936? We came within a whisper of not sending a team, and maybe it would have been better if we hadn't legitimized the Hitler regime. 1980? BAD idea. This time, bad idea too, and Zirin brings in John Carlos to be his expert here. (Zirin helped Carlos write his autobiography.) Probably, this picture, from the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, will tell you all you need to know about Carlos. This is the medal podium after the men's 200-meter dash, and that, if you're too young to remember, is the Black Power salute. Carlos won the bronze medal.
And what does Dr. Carlos have to say here?
"The bottom line is, if you stay home, your message stays home with you," he said. "If you stand for justice and equality, you have an obligation to find the biggest possible megaphone to let your feelings be known. Don't let your message be buried and don't bury yourself. To be heard is to be greater than a boycott. Had we stayed home, we'd never have been heard from again.
Absolutely. There won't be a boycott because the USOC doesn't want one, and here's Zirin's conclusion:
The best way to shine as bright a light as possible on the political and physical attacks in Russia is to take the fight to Sochi, both on and off the field of play. After that happens — and I do believe it's a matter of "when," not "if" — we should organize a big panel in Greenwich Village with Harvey Fierstein, John Carlos, Tommie Smith, and whoever has the courage to use the Sochi stage to demand that the attacks stop. We can even invite Putin so he can meet the people he so casually demonizes. Just watch your rings.
Absolutely. What's going on in Russia is yet another setback in the worldwide fight for full liberty for all people. If we don't fight it right there, who wins? And for getting through all this, here, again from John Aravosis, are pictures taken by our very own
Scott Wooledge in New York today: