The soft drink giant didn't specifically mention the critiques or the law itself. However, Coca-Cola did say it has a long history as a "strong supporter" of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. "We do not condone human rights abuses, intolerance or discrimination of any kind anywhere in the world," the statement said.
Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) sent a letter to the IOC demanding that candidates for president of the organization (Jacques Rogge is due to be replaced next month) make their views known on Russia's anti-gay laws and steps they would take regarding the Sochi Winter Games. One of those candidates, Mg Ser Miang, a Singaporean supermarket chief who is also a VP of the IOC, made clear he has no plans to do anything, because it's going to be a "wonderful" games. "Sochi has put in quite heavy investment because of the need for them to develop a lot of infrastructure.
Regarding the anti-gay law he expressed: "we now have a written assurance from the highest authority that there will be no discrimination of any kind, respect to the provisions of the Olympic Charter as well as the fundamental principle against discrimination of any kind. So the rights of those who are attending the Games, from spectators, to officials, to media, especially the athletes, will be respected. He added: "In some of these issues I believe in quiet diplomacy to deal with these issues," he said. "It's a common goal that we want to have a successful Games and the IOC is very clear and very strong -- the IOC is against discrimination of any kind."
The Athlets Response:
The NHL's top player Sidney Crosby was asked about his views on Russia's anti-gay laws at a press conference for Team Canada on Sunday. "I don't agree with Russia's anti-gay laws. "It's not something we've discussed a whole lot though, but, for me growing up in Canada, my view has always been that way. I think that everyone has an equal right to play and I think we've been supportive of that. With the Olympics and the controversy around that I think those decisions or those laws aren't necessarily something that we might agree with, I don't agree with personally ... their laws and their views, everyone's entitled to those." Crosby's Team Canada teammate, Nashville Predators star Shea Weber (also a supporter of the You Can Play foundation) said he too disagrees, but echoed Crosby's intent to play in Russia and focus on the game: "Obviously, the NHLPA and myself are trying to support that cause. Like Sidney said, the way we're brought up is different than how the Russians view it. We're going over there to play hockey and obviously that's what we're going to try and focus on this year throughout our season."
If two-time Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir wins one of two spots to represent the United States at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, he may have more to worry about then just trying to win a medal. Weir, who is openly gay, theoretically could be arrested or denied entry to the country under a law passed this year banning "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations," which would seem to include public displays of affection by same-sex partners and clothing or statements affirming gay rights. "In Russia, just the sheer fact that you could be gay, you can get arrested, fined, and it's a terrible thing to even think of," he said. "Myself, even, just walking down the street, going to get Starbucks in the morning, and somebody could arrest me just because I look too gay."
Olympic Figure Skater Johnny Weir and his Spouse Victor Voronov
Weir considers Russia to be "the most magnificent place in the world. He said that he became obsessed with the country's buildings, its tsars and fur coats as a child; he eventually learned the Russian language and married a man of Russian descent after his sixth-place finish at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. He now fears that he may never be allowed back in the country to see friends and relatives, and to compete at the Sochi games in six months if he makes the U.S. team. (Weir has stiff competition in his quest; the team will be selected in January, 2014).
Unlike openly gay speed skater Blake Skjellerup of New Zealand, who has vowed to wear a gay pride pin if he makes it to Sochi, Weir does not plan to broadcast his sexuality in Russia in a challenge to the law. He will not wear a rainbow flag or a "pin of two men kissing," he said; if he performs well, he will not kiss his husband sitting in the stands. "I can kiss him when I get to my hotel," said Weir. On the other hand, Blake said in an interview with the New Zeland Gay Times, "I don't want to think [a story] on the Internet about me being gay is going to put me under any jeopardy. I hope I can bring some positive change in Russia to overcome their LGBT discrimination."
No matter what happens in Sochi, it sounds like Skejjerup will be hanging up his skates after the Games: "I'm a lone athlete so I have to do everything myself," Skejjerup says of the financial toll competing has taken. I wouldn't say I've lost my life to the sport, but I can't see myself doing it for another four years."
Protest in Sweden in Front of the Russian Embassy in Stockholm
Weir strongly opposes calls to boycott the Games over the anti-gay laws, which he said would only hurt athletes who have trained their whole lives to compete; "Would the Olympics be in Saudi Arabia, in Palestine, in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Mars, I would go," he said. "Because that's what I'm trained to do and that's what I've devoted my life to." He added that his presence in Sochi could help rally opposition to the anti-gay legislation and the treatment of LGBT Russians. He said he has made peace with the possibility of being arrested. "If it takes me getting arrested for people to pay attention, and for people to lobby against this law, then I'm willing to take it," he said, adding: "Like anyone, I'm scared to be arrested. But I'm also not afraid of being arrested."
20-year-old Australian snowboarding Olympic hopeful Belle Brockhoff came out of the closet late last week to take a stand for gay and lesbian athletes. "I have a feeling that I would have to kinda go back into the closet a little bit because I don't want to risk my, like, you know, safety, being arrested or deported. I want to be able to compete and live my dream and become an Olympian. That's always what I've wanted to do. ... I honestly find it a little bit disrespectul and a little bit sad not only to me but to other athletes and it's my dream, and I want to be able to be who I am, I want to be proud of who I am and be proud of all the work I've done to get into the Olympics and not have to deal with this kind of law." Brockhoff says she'd like to make a statement if she goes to the Games:
Maybe a little bit of a badge, but, yeah, it's definitely a little bit scary when you think about, like, arrest and deportation, pulling out of events and all that stuff.
Russian Athlets Show Suport for Human Rights and their Displeasure with the Anti-Gay Law:
Two female Russian athletes, Kseniya Ryzhova and Tatyana Firova, who just won the 4×400 meter relay world championship in Moscow, decided to kiss on the lips on the winner's podium yesterday, suddly displaying the Rainbow Flag with their nail polish.
What remains unclear is whether they intended the kiss as a protest Russia's draconian anti-"gay propaganda" law that pretty much bans anyone in the country from being openly gay.
Belgian Designer Makes a Fashion Statement: "To Russia With Love"
Kristof Buntinx was skimming through Facebook when he first heard of the Russian government's public stance against the gay community. At first, he didn't think much of it, taking on a "to each his own" mentality. But, then, he started seeing videos of people getting beaten because of their orientation. "If you do not like the fact that I am homosexual, I can learn to live with it. But to humiliate, attack and torture people is really going too far," he wrote on his website about feeling disgusted at what he was seeing.
Instead of sitting around, Buntinx was stirred to action. With his graphic designer, he began work on a line of boxers that would act as a protest statement.
Now complete, the boxers are being featured in photos by Herman Van Gestel for a gay themed calendar. The calendar features models Buntinx found on Facebook who accepted no funds for their work. They just wanted the opportunity to stand up for the cause against Russia's antigay laws. All in all, Buntinx doesn't wish to stir riots. He just wants to create clothing that will keep people strong in who they are. "It is truly a quiet revolution. Just imagine that you live in Russia where you cannot be gay, but under your clothing you are still able to wear a pair of protest shorts. Is that not a nice thought," he said.
Gay Tourists in Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Politicians Continue Spreading Myths and Stigma about Homosexuality:
On June 30,2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill banning the "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations to minors," thus opening a new, dark chapter in the history of gay rights in Russia. The law caps a period of ferocious activities by the Russian government aimed at limiting the rights of the country's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people. The violations of fundamental, constitutionally protected rights of Russia's gay citizens have included multiple bans on gay pride parades in Moscow and other cities, hefty fines to gay rights groups accused of acting as a "foreign agent," denial of registration to nongovernmental organizations, and regional laws banning the propaganda of homosexuality to minors, which served as a basis for the federal law enacted by Mr. Putin and unanimously passed by the State Duma. Against this backdrop, violent attacks on gays or "suspect gays" are becoming commonplace.
State Duma Deputy Mikhail Degtyaryov, a Moscow mayoral candidate for the LDPR party, is calling for a ban on blood donations by gay men, The Moscow Times reports: Degtyarov said his proposal is not an act of discrimination but a precautionary measure since over 65 percent of HIV-infected individuals are men. He said that the failure to forbid homosexuals from donatingblood is a type of "sabotage". Degtyaryov said that the Duma is also considering a program to provide anonymous and voluntary counseling for gay and bisexual people who want to be heterosexual. "Many want to return to a normal life, to become heterosexual like 95 to 99 percent of our citizens," Degtyaryov said.
Anti-Gay Law Protest in St Petersburg, June 2013
Russian Police Seize Gay Flag in St Petersburg Protest
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Click Here to read about how the Anti-Gay Law is Isolating Russian Teenagers
Here is What Article 6.21 Actually Says:
Propaganda is the act of distributing information among minors that 1) is aimed at the creating nontraditional sexual attitudes, 2) makes nontraditional sexual relations attractive, 3) equates the social value of traditional and nontraditional sexual relations, or 4) creates an interest in nontraditional sexual relations.
If You're Russian: Individuals engaging in such propaganda can be fined 4,000 to 5,000 rubles (120-150 USD), public officials are subject to fines of 40,000 to 50,000 rubles (1,200-1,500 USD), and registered organizations can be either fined (800,000-1,000,000 rubles or 24,000-30,000 USD) or sanctioned to stop operations for 90 days. If you engage in the said propaganda in the media or on the internet, the sliding scale of fines shifts: for individuals, 50,000 to 100,000 rubles; for public officials, 100,000 to 200,000 rubles, and for organizations, from one million rubles or a 90-day suspension.
If You're an Alien: Foreign citizens or stateless persons engaging in propaganda are subject to a fine of 4,000 to 5,000 rubles, or they can be deported from the Russian Federation and/or serve 15 days in jail. If a foreigner uses the media or the internet to engage in propaganda, the fines increase to 50,000-100,000 rubles or a 15-day detention with subsequent deportation from Russia.
Russia Police Seize Racy Painting by Konstantin Altunin of Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev:
Russian Police said on August 28, 2013 they confiscated four paintings by artist Konstantin Altunin and closed down the exhibition of his work in Russia's second city of Saint Petersburg, which is set to host world leaders for the G20 summit in September, 2013.
A Photo taken on August 21, 2013, shows a visitor looking at a painting by Russian artist Konstantin Altunin representing Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in women's lingerie during the "Leaders" exhibition in the central St. Petersburg. Russian police said today they had raided the "Leaders" exhibition and confiscated a painting of Putin and Medvedev lounging together in women's lingerie. The police service said it had taken paintings from the Museum of Power gallery on Monday after receiving reports they were illegal. One painting showed President Vladimir V. Putin wearing a tightfitting slip and brushing the hair of Prime Minister Dmitri A. Medvedev, who is wearing underpants and a bra. The officers also removed a picture of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church covered in tattoos and two others poking fun at lawmakers who have backed a law banning so-called gay propaganda, gallery officials said. The law has prompted protests and calls for a boycott of the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February. Renown paintor Konstantin Altunin has left for France planning to request asylum there, said the director of St Petersburg's Museum of Power, Tatiana Titova.