Russia’s Interior Minister Confirms Anti-Gay Laws Will Be Enforces At 2014 Sochi Olympics

Russia’s Interior Minister Confirms Anti-Gay Laws Will Be Enforces At 2014 Sochi Olympics

by Will Kohler

Russia's Interior Ministry seems to have confirmed that the nation's draconian anti-gay laws will in fact be enforced during the twenty-second winter Olympiad.

According to Ria Novosti:

"Russia's Interior Ministry, which controls the police force, confirmed Monday that the country's controversial anti-gay law will be enforced during the Sochi 2014 Olympics."

"The law enforcement agencies can have no qualms with people who harbor a nontraditional sexual orientation and do not commit such acts [to promote homosexuality to minors], do not conduct any kind of provocation and take part in the Olympics peacefully," said an Interior Ministry statement issued on Monday.

It warned against this approach being mixed up with discrimination against gay people.

"Any discussion on violating the rights of representatives of nontraditional sexual orientations, stopping them from taking part in the Olympic Games or discrimination of athletes and guests of the Olympics according to their sexual orientation is totally unfounded and contrived," the statement added.

The head of Russia's National Olympic Committee Alexander Zhukov stated it plainly.

"If a person does not put across his views in the presence of children, no measures against him can be taken," Zhukov said. "People of nontraditional sexual orientations can take part in the competitions and all other events at the Games unhindered, without any fear for their safety whatsoever."

Alexei Davydov, a Moscow-based activist whose friend, Gleb Latnik, was kidnapped and beaten nearly to death after organizing a protest against the laws in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s third-largest city, described the circumstances as dire.

“To be gay and Russian is to live in fear,” Davydov said. “We are being harassed, arrested, jailed, attacked, and murdered merely for being gay.”

Why must we even have to discuss boycotting the Olympics at this point it should be a given.  Any hesitation by athletes and coaches both gay and straight and Olympic advertisers are not only insensitive but also extremely selfish and they should be ashamed of themselves.

BOYCOTT SOCHI 2014!

Will Kohler