Bob Costas on 'Vladimir Putin’s Games’

The Sochi games have gone much better than many feared and predicted. So far security has held fast, venues have been praised, athletes and spectators have almost unanimously cited the warmth and hospitality of their hosts. All of which is truly wonderful but should not serve to obscure a larger and more lasting truth.

While in many significant ways, Russian citizens have better lives than Soviet citizens of a generation ago, there’s is still a government which imprisons dissidents, is hostile to gay rights, sponsors and supports a vicious regime in Syria - and that’s just a partial list.

The Sochi games are Vladimir Putin's games, from their inception to their conclusion, and all points in between. And if they are successful on their own terms, as appears to be the case, then at least in some corners it will help to burnish the image of a regime with which much of the world takes significant issue. No amount of Olympic glory can mask those realities any more than a biathlon gold medal, though hard-earned and deeply satisfying as it is, can put out the fires in Kiev.

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AT&T speaks out against Russia's Anti-LGBT Law

From their site

The Olympic Games in Sochi also allow us to shine a light on a subject that’s important to all Americans: equality. As you may know, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community around the world is protesting a Russian anti-LGBT law that bans “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.” To raise awareness of the issue, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has called on International Olympic Committee (IOC) sponsors to take action and stand up for LGBT equality. AT&T is not an IOC sponsor, so we did not receive the HRC request. However, we are a long-standing sponsor of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), we support HRC’s principles and we stand against Russia’s anti-LGBT law. AT&T has a long and proud history of support for the LGBT community in the United States and everywhere around the world where we do business. We support LGBT equality globally and we condemn violence, discrimination and harassment targeted against LGBT individuals everywhere. Russia’s law is harmful to LGBT individuals and families, and it’s harmful to a diverse society. We celebrate the diversity of all Olympic athletes, their fans, Russian residents and all people the world over – including and, especially, our employees and their loved ones.

Interesting Quote: IOC member Dick Pound

"Nobody has got anything else to write about and for some reason as they have sort of moved away from the anti-gay stuff — I think it’s not drawing the kind of attention that they wanted. In Malaysia, you can be put to death. In Nigeria, you can be put in jail for God knows how long. So it’s a target of convenience with respect to Russia, not that I approve of the law, but putting it on a scale of 1-10 of odious laws, it’s not way up there near 10. So whose ox is getting gored here?”

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Sochi's Mayor believes There are No Gay People in his Town - WATCH

What Really happened with Pavel Lebedev and the Coca-Cola Homophobic Police Squad?

So, I've been following this Pavel Lebedev story and found myself amazed at how an incident can get twisted. Pavel was detained for protesting against the Anti-gay law at the Olympic torch relay in Russia. However, the story has been on the uniforms the security guards were wearing.

Their uniforms have Coke's logo on them. They are a sponsor, no secret there. But because their logo is there, some LGBT bloggers and activists believe they are supporting hate and the attack of Pavel. Some folks have written conspiracy theories, claiming that Coke is trying oppress gays all over the world.

After a few bloggers questioned Coke, Coke responded (here's a piece of their response)

As a Presenting Partner of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay, our logo appears on all of the uniforms for the staff assigned by the Sochi Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) to support the Torch Relay.

SOCOG reported that a spectator was prevented from breaching the security perimeter around the Torchbearer. The spectator was detained briefly by local police and was fined.

We hope this information is helpful and encourage you to contact us again should you have additional comments or questions.

Jeffrey CIndustry and Consumer AffairsThe Coca-Cola Company

Okay, so security prevented Pavel to breaching the perimeter. I get that, it's their job to keep areas protected. Was it because Pavel is gay? I'm not sure. On a real tip, this is what security guards do. I live in LA, this is a normal thing to see. If you breach the perimeter, you get busted! How did their basic responsibility become an anti-gay attack?

This is one of my biggest pet peeves with some activists. Sometimes they take something simple and twist it all the way around the corner and around the Moon. I get that it's a major issue, but we can't be careless and ridic about this. Please, stick to the facts and not hype.

This law sucks, but twisting the truth and fooling our readers, suck rotten eggs.

United States Department of State issues Travel Alert to Sochi

As some folks prepare to go to Sochi for the Winter Olympics, the United States Department of State releases a travel alert .

But I wanted to point out the piece for us (the gays)

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER (LGBT) ISSUES: In June 2013, Russia’s State Duma passed a law banning the “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” to minors. The U.S. government understands that this law applies to both Russian citizens and foreigners in Russia. Russian citizens found guilty of violating the law could face a fine of up to 100,000 rubles ($3,100). Foreign citizens face similar fines, up to 14 days in jail, and deportation. The law makes it a crime to promote LGBT equality in public, but lacks concrete legal definitions for key terms. Russian authorities have indicated a broad interpretation of what constitutes “LGBT propaganda,” and provided vague guidance as to which actions will be interpreted by authorities as “LGBT propaganda.” LGBT travelers should review the State Department’s LGBT Travel Information page.

Read the rest here

Johnny Weir Retires from Skating and Hired as a NBC Commentator at Sochi

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