No, the President did not exactly say "in your face" on the anti-gay law.
But consider
1. for the first time ever US delegations for opening and closing ceremonies will not include the President, First Lady, or Vice-President
2. The head of the US delegation, Janet Napolitano, has never married and is widely considered in political circles in DC to be gay, although here I must note carefully that if that is the case, she is not "out"
3. But then there is this AP story, as it appeared in the Boston Globe. Two openly gay female US athletes are part of the US delegation, with hockey player Caitlin Cahow attending the closing ceremonies. The big news is
Billie Jean King
Allow me to quote from the article:
‘‘It’s a positive sign to see openly gay representatives in the delegation,’’ said Michael Cole-Schwartz, spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, a gay advocacy group which recently sent a letter urging Obama to include gays and lesbians in the delegation. ‘‘Hopefully it sends a message to the Russian people and the rest of the world that the United States values the civil and human rights of LGBT people.’’
King said she was ‘‘deeply honored’’ to be named to the delegation.
‘‘I am equally proud to stand with the members of the LGBT community in support of all athletes who will be competing in Sochi and I hope these Olympic Games will indeed be a watershed moment for the universal acceptance of all people,’’ said King, who will attend the opening ceremony.
In your face, Putin.
And good for the administration to stand up for the rights of all people.