really offsets
so we have now the Olympics the winter olympics
for 2014 I am
scheduled to be in Russia
in so she and there is a movement
afoot to get the IO si
the governing body of the Olympics to settle cancel the Olympics in 2014 a
move it to 2015 and have in Vancouver
part of this
a this movement has been stoked by the i/o see
basically threatening
I am hey don't know threatens the right word but yes I think threatening a gay
athletes
I am that any athlete who speaks out again not just gay athletes
any athlete who speaks out against the discriminatory laws
in russia may also be disciplined by the
I O Si committee this is a report from gay Star News
I am they were asked
what I was planning to do to ensure that LGBT individuals can have a visible
proud safe presence at the Games was told Winter Games no place for political
statements
the Olympic the owns a
own charter describe such things as propaganda
which course is the same word being used by the russians in their new anti-gay
law
under all 50 the I'll see charter
no kind of demonstration a political religious or racial propaganda is
permitted
in any Olympic sites venues are other areas
I the
the one of the questions in the push back that i've seen and
I'll I sign it he was stephen cohen who is a
long time russian expert on Charlie Rose
last night and I
he said one of the dangers up having
a I don't know
that he was speaking about protest that emanate from
the International a for internationally
but one other things he said
that is a that it's tricky in this situation is
nationalism nativism in russia is a
fast-growing dangerous movement and
it would make it rather easy
to play into those nationalist sentiments
if these protests were seen
as coming from the West
as opposed to I guess
sorta a a broader human rights
question in other words this can easily be manipulated
to create a worse situation I in Russia mean is the same dynamic that we've seen
play out
I in Iran we see it in cuba
frankly we saw in this country I
during the Iraq war whenever you have a
leadership that is struggling in the polls
nationalism is the big go to and the
boogie man outside of your country
that poses some type of threat to you existentially
or in terms of your sovereignty is always a very convenient vehicle
to strengthen your hand domestically
I with that said
there's also a protest in
this country that dan Savage
has a some started
dan Savage is the author in
columnist and I think radio host I am
podcast I am he started a boycott
over Russian vodka and it is being called in some quarters
the the the Stoli boycott there was some question as to whether or not Stoli
the still a channel vodka was actually a Russian vodka
according to interviews that they've given year or two ago
the they claim that the vodka comes from russia they just bottle it in Latvia
now that said the Stoli CEO is a
has been a strong proponent gay rights and has come out and said so
I yet interesting piece in the Atlantic saying
the Russian vodka boycott is working
whether you like it or not and
the measure in which that Russian vodka por
vodka boycott is working is that it is raise public awareness
least if you use Google searches as a gauge
to what's going on in russia and certainly
you know it's it was one of the things that
a.m. first called my attention to these laws in russia certainly was aware of
them
I when they were passed I guess earlier in the summer in the spring
or being debated in early
early spring late winter so
that's the situation there I mean I was hoping to speak to a a a russian expert
to get a real notion at the dynamics that the politics in
in Russia as to the efficacy
I love up these different approaches
up but there has been a strong push
I am to get the Olympics moved
and the so
you know we will update that as a as it goes there's also I this story that that
came out bad today
where r Andy Cohen who say I you think a Bravo late night host
yes I should say that and account got his first TV appearance
on my show pilot season home yes when he was a Bravo executive I put him in the
last scene
I'll the Bravo executives were in the last scene of pilot season 6
so I've I have worked with Andy and
yes I did see this story would okay well he is usually a co hosts for a Miss
Universe
and this year Miss Universe will be taking place in russia
and he said he has turned down the coast in Gig because he doesn't feel safe over
there
as a gay man yes apparently and account is gay I don't know if you're familiar
with his work go there may not be a
not been clear to you but I just want to make sure people who don't know twenty
right yes and so you know good for him
I you know what are the plans with these laws
that's also like a very valid concern
he's alive people traveling into the country as well
it's a valid it's a valid concern I think it also is he's making a strong
political statement and
the so good for for for antitrust