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."

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Posted in: Billie Jean King,gay athletes,Russia,Sochi Olympics

Brian Boitano Comes Out

Days after being named to the Obama administration's Sochi delegation, Olympic gold medalist Brian Boitano has finally acknowledged that he is gay. Via USA Today:

Boitano's announcement comes two days after he was named by President Obama to the opening ceremony delegation that also includes Billie Jean King, the tennis legend who is openly gay. Boitano, 50, declined to discuss his sexuality in an interview for the book Inside Edge in 1995. Two-time U.S. ice hockey Olympic medalist Caitlin Cahow, who also is openly gay, was named to the closing ceremony delegation. Their presence in the delegations has been viewed as a strong message from Obama against Russia's anti-gay propaganda law.

Here's a portion of Boitano's statement:

It is my desire to be defined by my achievements and my contributions. While I am proud to play a public role in representing the American Olympic Delegation as a former Olympic athlete, I have always reserved my private life for my family and friends and will continue to do so. I am many things: a son, a brother, and uncle, a friend, an athlete, a cook, an author, and being gay is just one part of who I am. First and foremost I am an American athlete and I am proud to live in a country that encourages diversity, openness and tolerance. As an athlete, I hope we can remain focused on the Olympic spirit which celebrates achievement in sport by peoples of all nations.

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Posted in: Brian Boitano,coming out,gay athletes,Sochi Olympics

HomoQuotable - Caitlin Cahow

"It's obviously a statement that's being made, but I think it's an incredibly respectful one. Basically, the White House is highlighting Americans who know what it means to have freedoms and liberties under the constitution. That's really what we're representing in Sochi and it's not at all different from what's espoused in the spirit of Olympism. So I think it's just a great group of people. I can't believe I've been named one of them because it's a remarkable roster and I just think that we're going to represent what the best America can be. Hopefully, it will unify all of Team USA and send a message of love and acceptance to the world." - Openly gay Olympic silver medalist Caitlin Cahow, who will be part of the American delegation to the closing ceremonies of the Sochi Games.

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Posted in: Caitlin Cahow,gay athletes,HomoQuotable,LGBT rights,Obama administration,Russia,Sochi Olympics

Greg Louganis: Sochi Athletes Should Publicly Thank Gay Supporters

Olympic legend Greg Louganis is opposed to a boycott of the Sochi Games, but he has an idea about how athletes could make a statement there without raising the ire of the IOC. Via USA Today:

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.

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Posted in: gay athletes,Greg Louganis,Russia,Sochi Olympics

Martina Navratilova & Jason Collins Call On Sporting Bodies To Respect LGBT Rights

Martina Navratilova and Jason Collins yesterday called on international sporting groups to respect LGBT rights. The pair spoke at a United Nations event marking International Human Rights Day.

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.

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Posted in: FIFA,gay athletes,Jason Collins,LGBT rights,Martina Navralitova,Qatar,Russia,Sochi Olympics