russia has been facing a lot of criticism for their anti-gay legislation
in fact
recently Vladimir Putin I had past
this anti-gay propaganda law which would
but basically fine and maybe even jail someone who is caught
talking about homosexuality to children and there is like this
emergence I love neo-nazis are very anti gay and very very scary so
at now russian official is saying that during that
2014 Winter Olympics is an athletes or an Olympic gold
like if you go there to watch any games if you are caught doing or saying
anything gay
you could face %uh some sort of I and you could even be arrested
so a lot of people are protesting these types of actions understandably so
but it's good crazy because russia is an example the country it's actually moving
backwards in terms of this issue you see
a lot of other countries moving forwards forward including the United States
obviously with the acceptance again marriage in several states
russia has a long history of xenophobia its budget gay people as with all kinds
of minorities and religions and all that
but I think you hit on the key point here that this big gay rights thing as
well
so far we got gay marriage in america
on its way to every state in just passed the law last month
so these things are changing so positively so the fact that Russia which
is about to be put on the international stage
in the highest possible way with the Olympics the fact that they're doing
this
is crazy and I I don't know exactly
but people is obviously going to the base I guess he's going to some
internal political group that's gonna
keep rockin I don't really know enough about russian politics as to why
strategy in this up
but there is a history as if I'll be there and maybe yes he's gone n
I always I'll I was always under the assumption that
no matter what you do a country and its people will move toward progress
and here in the US I mean we saw progress when it came to race relations
obviously we still have a lot of work to do we're seeing progress when it comes
to
you know J acceptance we're seeing well
when it comes to reproductive rights we are regressing I'll bet so that's
that's probably not the perfect example a bit but it makes me worry
and I'm wondering if these protests these pro-gay protests are going to do
anything to
help mitigate this yeah I I don't know and
the interesting thing is you we as liberals we hope and assume that there
will be progress
and as you said correctly obviously russia has had a xenophobic past
partially
people were constantly starkly attacking them so there's some some cause for
perhaps
but I i saw call that from 2005 2013 the percentage russians responding
should a gay individuals have the same rights as heterosexual individuals
dropped
from 51 percent to 39 percent in less than a decade
and so that's unfortunate and I think its it's very perverse that like
they're salivating at the idea of all these people coming the Olympics in and
arrest them for being gay
but the joke is on them because it's the winter olympics sort of -ism
I know I you said is the highest honor there's one slightly higher honor
I have something really but yet rated pic and but yeah it's unfortunate so
I am a Human Rights Campaign CEO Chad Griffin
dismiss the i/o sees claimed I O Si basically says no no no you have nothing
to worry about
if you are going to russia for the Olympics just a view of your spectator
are you are you don't have to worry about this %uh however
the human rights campaign co-chair griffin says not so fast there probably
is something to worry about he says
there's no way to guarantee the safety and security of openly gay LGBT olympic
visitors
in a country now defined by this trick odeon state-sponsored homophobia and
transphobia
yeah how would we expect them to be protected their in the country of russia
and they will have to abide by
rushes laws you know but this is the thing with the Olympics like we have the
Olympics in China couple years ago
China has led a human rights problems too so the Olympics which are supposed
to
you know trance and borders and all that they don't
always do that because countries are still going to have their prejudices and
their problems
so you know we got a year and a half to play this thing out hopeful hopefully
things get better