As the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia approaches, so do the problems. A major issue that is arising is Russia’s policy agist gays. Russia has a strong anti-homosexual policy. They have laws that fine people for doing anything related to promoting gay rights. This “gay propaganda” is met with fines, hate crimes, and possible imprisonment. As Katie Halper writes in her article Russia Anti-Gay Bill, “The law imposes significant fines of up to $31,000 for providing information about the LGBT community to minors, holding gay pride events, speaking in defense of gay rights, or equating gay and heterosexual relationships.”
A major issue with this law going into the Olympics is that LGBT athletes are not allowed by law to be with their partners during the games. Anyone caught identifying themselves as gay or even claiming to be non-homophobic will not only be fined, but subjected to hate crimes, which are often violent. In some cases, people can be imprisoned. Research shows that in recent years, Russian acceptance for gays has decreased rather than increase as it has in most other nations. Hate crimes are a day to day occurrence in Russia and are completely overlooked by the government.
Recently, the Miss Universe Pageant and gay actor Wentworth Miller have had hesitations about going to Russia because of the policy. As a gay himself, Miller says he could not, “participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly.” It makes people wonder whether there will be athletes who refuse to compete in a nation that isn’t tolerant. Or it may keep them from spending their moments in the spotlight with their partner.
A few weeks ago, in an attempt to defy Russia’s anti-gay policy, Russian sprinter, Kseniya Ryzhova kissed both her teammates, Tatyana Firova and Yulia Guschina on top of the podium after the World Championships meet in Moscow. This topped headlines and received a popular response on social media. This could mark the beginning of a movement to defy the government’s homophobic policies. If so, it comes just in time for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
Works Cited
Goldstein, Nancy. "Wentworth Miller's Message for the Olympics on Russia's Anti-gay Law." The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2013.
Halper, Katie. "PolicyMic." PolicyMic. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2013.
Alanna, this is a very interesting issue. Like some of the other issues that your peers have addressed, this one might not be on your classmates' current events radars. Thank you for bringing it to our attention. I had heard of Wentworth Miller's trepidation, but I did not know about the Russian sprinter's protest. Was there fall-out in Russia from this?
ReplyDeleteMy only criticism of your post is that there is some less-than-tight writing. Many of your sentences feel rushed, or sloppy. Let me point out some examples:
1) "They have laws that fine people..." Not only is this excessively wordy, but it is probably technically wrong. Laws don't fine people; people fine people. You would have been better off writing, "The Russian government fines anyone..." You then start your next sentences by once again introducing fines. This is repetitive.
2) You talk several times about "hate crimes" as if they were legalized and government sanctioned. You need to explain this. One would naturally assume that a "hate crime" is, in fact, a "crime." If people can commit "hate crimes" against homosexuals, then their actions are not crimes.
3) The last two sentences of your third paragraph use the pronoun "it" as their subjects. What is "it"?