Posts
7:10 AM
Unknown
Showing posts with label Russia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Russia. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Scott Lively Denounces Homocons
Posted in: 
BRITAIN: Activists Crash Coke Event
Protestors gate-crashed a Coca-Cola Christmas PR stunt in London's Covent Garden today, in opposition to the global brand's sponsorship of the Sochi Olympics. The gay rights activists, including Peter Tatchell, tried to climb on the roof of the Coca-Cola truck parked in the center of London on one of the busiest Christmas shopping days. They were pulled down by security guards. 'Coke is sponsoring the Sochi Winter Olympics, without even a murmur of unease at the anti-gay and repressive policies of the Putin government. It is shameful acquiescence with oppression,' said Tatchell, coordinator of the protest.Coke has issued a statement: "We have long been a strong supporter of the LGBT community and have advocated for inclusion and diversity through both our policies and practices. We do not condone intolerance or discrimination of any kind anywhere in the world. We believe a more positive impact can be made through continued involvement [in the Olympics], rather than by sitting on the sidelines."
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Billie Jean King: Our Sochi Olympics Delegation Might Wave Rainbow Flags
In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Billie Jean King said that the US Sochi delegation might wave rainbow flags.
“Maybe we should wave rainbow flags or something, I don’t know,” she said, drawing an analogy to the Black Power salute – a raised fist – given by two American athletes at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. “As long as we’re not being malicious,” she said, “we can show our feelings.” President Obama named the former tennis champion, who is gay, to the American delegation at the Olympics earlier this week. “I'm very proud to go as an athlete, and as a gay woman,” she said. “I'm thrilled.” Russia’s hosting of the Olympics has been surrounded by controversy in large measure because of a law enacted earlier this year banning gay “propaganda,” which has contributed to many gay Russians fleeing the country. “I'm not real big on boycotting,” King told Amanpour. “It has to be absolutely a last resort.”King went on to hope that she is provided "good security."
Thursday, December 19, 2013
HRC Gives $100K For Russian LGBT Rights
From the Human Rights Campaign:
Just 50 days from the start of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games, HRC announced today our first contribution to the Russia Freedom Fund in the amount of $100,000. The donation was made possible because individuals from around the world have joined HRC's "Love Conquers Hate" campaign, which is raising awareness about the Russian government outlawing even modest support for LGBT equality.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
HomoQuotable - Caitlin Cahow
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
White House Announces Sochi Delegation, Obamas & Bidens Will Not Attend
The Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russian Federation will be held on February 7, 2014. The delegation will attend athletic events, meet with U.S. athletes, and attend the Opening Ceremony. The Honorable Janet A. Napolitano, President of the University of California, will lead the delegation. The Honorable Michael A. McFaul, United States Ambassador to the Russian Federation. The Honorable Robert L. Nabors, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy. The Honorable Billie Jean King, Member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, Member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Mr. Brian A. Boitano, Olympic gold medalist, figure skating.Neither of the Obamas, no Joe Biden, but a trio of gays. That's a message. Of course, neither Napolitano nor Boitano have actually come out. There will be lots of reading of the tea leaves for the next few days.
UPDATE: Via the Associated Press.
The Human Rights Campaign, one of the groups that wrote the White House last month asking Obama to include gays and lesbians in the delegation, applauded the unveiling of the delegation Tuesday. "It's a positive sign to see openly gay representatives in the delegation," said spokesman Michael Cole-Schwartz. "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." On other fronts, the 2014 delegation appears to be a step back from previous years, when the U.S. sent top-level administration officials to represent the U.S. at the Olympic ceremonies. First lady Michelle Obama led the delegation to the London Games in 2012, while Vice President Joe Biden headed the effort in 2010 in Vancouver. Obama's schedule will not permit him to attend the games in Sochi in February, the White House said.
Pat Buchanan Praises Vladimir Putin
Monday, December 16, 2013
Fischer Doesn't Want To Burn You Alive
French President Won't Attend Sochi
“There are no plans to attend,” Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told the station. “Top French officials have no plans to be there.” Fabius offered no explanation for the decision to ditch the games, according to Europe 1, which suggested it might be due to Russia’s controversial anti-LGBT “gay propaganda” ban. France’s Sports Minister Valérie Fourneyron expressed concerns about the law to her Russian counterpart in August. Hollande attended the Summer Games in London, along with a record number of other world leaders.Buzzfeed notes that the White House has not yet announced whether the United States is sending an official delegation. The First Lady attended the Summer Games in London last year and that announcement came four months in advance. Last week the ceremonial president of Germany announced that he was boycotting Sochi over Russia's anti-gay pogrom.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Greg Louganis: Sochi Athletes Should Publicly Thank Gay Supporters
Greg Louganis urged American Olympians on Friday to dedicate their performances at February's Sochi Games to their gay friends and relatives as a means of public but personal protest against Russian anti-gay laws. Louganis said as he understands the law, Olympic athletes in Sochi could potentially be in trouble for wearing rainbow pins in support of the LGBT movement. That, he said, is why he thinks athletes should publicly thank gay friends and relatives who have supported them in their road to the Olympics. "I don't see how the IOC can say anything about that, because it's personal, not political," Louganis said. "If you have a supportive aunt, uncle, cousin, friend who is gay, you don't win a gold medal by yourself. There is a team of people behind you. And to recognize those people is a way athletes can show their support of the LGBT community and what's going on in Russia."Louganis says that he got hate mail from gay people after he first declared his opposition to a boycott.
Friday, December 13, 2013
Russian Actor: I Would Like To Shove All Living Gays Into A Furnace
Thursday, December 12, 2013
TODAY: Queer Nation To Protest At NBC
This is the not at all inspiring tale of the International Olympic Committee and eleven of the top Olympic sponsors' Road to Sochi. This coalition of some of the biggest mega-corporations on Earth dutifully and unfortunately followed the lead of feckless IOC president Thomas Bach. They have made a collective agreement that the shining ideals of the Olympic charter are merely easily expendable platitudes if they ever threaten to interfere with the collecting of large wheel barrels full of Olympic profits. The result of the IOC and sponsors' inaction is the Olympic charters' hollow assurances of non-discrimination and respect for basic human rights have now been reduced to mere jive talk and many in the global LGBTQ community are not at all fooled by it.
Gentlemen Against Homophobia: German Male Celebs Kiss Against Russian Hate
Lifestyle monthly GQ, generally known for advertising fast cars and hot women to its readers, launched the Gentlemen Against Homophobia campaign. 13 celebrities puckered up for the pics. While relatively unknown outside of the country, they included actor August Diehl, the band Revolverheld and singer Herbert Grönemeyet. Six incredible photos were produced, aiming to be published all over Germany on buses, posters and billboards. ‘The intolerance that homosexuals are still fighting against is shocking,’ Editor-in-Chief José Redondo-Vega said. ‘With #Mundpropaganda we wanted to give a clear sign in favor of a free society.’Here is the magazine's making-of video.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
HomoQuotable - Nancy Goldstein
HRC Slams Sochi Protest Zones
Martina Navratilova & Jason Collins Call On Sporting Bodies To Respect LGBT Rights
They focused in part on the upcoming Winter Olympics in Russia, which passed a law this summer banning homosexual "propaganda." The law has drawn international condemnation and sparked calls for a boycott, though no nations have threatened to pull their athletes. Navratilova, who lost lucrative endorsements when she came out in 1981, said she doesn't support boycotts of any kind. But she said the IOC is "putting its head in the sand" and criticized FIFA, the world soccer body, for awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. "Nobody's talking about Qatar and the World Cup. You can get a jail term there," she said of consensual gay sex in the Persian Gulf nation. In six other countries, including Saudi Arabia, simply being gay is punishable by death, she said. "Gays and lesbians seem to be the last group it's seen as OK to pick on," she said.Watch video here.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Russia To Create Protest Zones At Sochi
The announcement came during a news teleconference held by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. "This was under discussion with the IOC for quite some time," Bach said. "This is a measure we welcome so that everybody can express his or her opinion." Bach did not offer any details about the size or location of the zones. He said Russian officials have assured him protesters will not face negative consequences. "I think this is the purpose of these protest zones," Bach said. "This is what we’ve been discussing with Russian authorities."A spokesman for All Out responded to today's news by renewing a demand that Bach denounce Russia's anti-gay laws.
EU Commissioner To Boycott Sochi
European Union commissioner Viviane Reding said she would not be attending the Sochi 2014 Olympics in February over what she said was Russia's treatment of minorities, joining German President Joachim Gauck in an open snub to the host nation. "I will certainly not go to Sochi as long as minorities are treated the way they are under the current Russian legislation," Reding, EU Commissioner for Justice, Citizenship and Fundamental Rights, said in a tweet on Tuesday. While it was unclear whether Reding had been invited or would have gone as an EU representative or a private citizen, her decision to openly oppose Russia's recent legislation was the most vocal statement by a politician to date.Graphic via Memeographs.
Russian Politician Slams German President Over Decision To Boycott Sochi
The German president has become the first major political figure to boycott the Sochi Winter Olympics in February. According to German weekly Der Spiegel, Joachim Gauck last week told the Kremlin of his decision, which is understood to be a response to the Russian government's violations of human rights and harassment of the opposition. The head of the Russian parliament's foreign delegation on Sunday criticised Gauck's decision. Alexey Pushkov tweeted: "The German president Gauck has not criticised the killing of children and women in Pakistan and Afghanistan. But he is so critical of Russia that he doesn't even want to travel to Sochi."
Ian McKellen: The British Government Warned Me Against Traveling To Russia
In an interview with the Radio Times magazine, the openly gay actor, 74, said he was told by Britain's Foreign Office that it could not "protect him" from the laws. In July a nationwide law banning distribution of "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" among minors was passed in Russia. “Imagine trying to be a gay actor, a gay anything in modern Russia?," Sir Ian told the Radio Times. “Where to be positively oneself, to be affectionate in public with someone you love of the same gender, or to talk of that love in the hearing of anyone under 18, will put you in prison? "That’s why I can’t go to Russia."
