Arguing that discrimination at the Olympics must not be tolerated, George Takei today called for a complete change of venue for the Winter Olympics out of Sochi, Russia.
emphasis mine:
Last week, Russia’s Sports Minister confirmed that the country intends to enforce its laws against visiting LGBT athletes, trainers and fans, meaning anyone even so much as waving a rainbow flag (and I presume many men enthusiastically watching and dramatically commenting on figure skating) would be arrested, held for weeks and then deported.
While no one can guarantee the physical safety of Olympic athletes, this may be the first time athletes are being put in danger by law enforcement of the hosting country itself.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you propose another alternative?
Please read Takei's entire powerful post HERE and if you agree, sign the Change.org petition here.
Boycotts of the Olympics or of Russian Vodka, Takei argues, are not the way to go. Boycotts will not change Russia's behavior.
Writes Takei:
Many believe that such a call to move the Olympics out of Russia goes too far. Would this be their opinion if the law instead called for the arrest of any Jews, Roman Catholics or Muslims should they display any sign of their religion, such as a wearing a yamaka or praying while facing Mecca? Discrimination in any form is a blight upon the Winter Games, and it must not be tolerated.
There is a
petition calling for the Winter Olympics to be returned to their 2010 site in Vancouver.
UPDATE: Dave in Northridge just posted a diary that proposes a neat twist on this idea: The IOC should ban Russia from competing in the Olympics for being in clear and direct conflict with the Olympic Charter.