Harvey Fierstein New York Times Op-Ed / Russia’s brutal crack down on gay rights

[telemann]

Comments

[telemann]

I'd like to believe the IOC is going to do something, but I am not naive enough to expect them to have the guts.

And I'm pretty sure national teams will get a lot of lectures about not pissing off the Russian authorities by any unsanctioned political statements via wearing emblems, or signs, etc. Just as long as the money keeps flowing, that's the only thing that matters to the IOC.

[notmrgarrison]

The Olympics is about sports, not politics. In 2008 they could have protested about Tibet, or all the political prisoners, or the death penalty. In 2012 I'm sure they could have found things to protest against the British. There are always things to protest against, the Olympics are for sporting events.

[telemann]

You're quite wrong.The IOC rescinded South Africa's invitation to the Olympic games because of the policy of apartheid; and South Africa wasn't allowed to participate again until 1992.

[imfromjasenevo]

Ohh, he is not lesbian participant, I'm not sure about his sexual orientaion, he is likely just a civil defender of LGBT rights
(his father is lj-user)

[telemann]

Thanks, I redacted the photograph's byline.

[yes_justice]

May I have more information, please?

[imfromjasenevo]

Actually, I saw only photos
http://zyalt.livejournal.com/795978.html

[papasha_mueller]

"the law could mean that any Olympic athlete, trainer, reporter, family member or fan who is gay - or suspected of being gay, or just accused of being gay - can go to jail"

Mr. Ferstein IS a liar.
The law in question is NOT against being gay, lesbian, transvestite or all of the above, be you olympics athlet, or ballet dancer, or hot dog street seller.
This law claims illegal the PROPAGANDA of being gay, etc.
And not just propaganda - the propaganda of this joy TO THE CHILDREN, it is supposed that Russian adults can take it without damage.

The rest is bullshit.

[dexeron]

And not just propaganda - the propaganda of this joy TO THE CHILDREN,

And would such "propoganda" include having the gall to dare to exist, and do so in public?

Gee, sounds a lot like "any person who is gay can go to jail" to me.

Might as well say: "You can have free speech, but only so long as you don't say anything."

[papasha_mueller]

Your fantasies, sonny, aren't flying high enough.
Why won't you just read the law, it's published?

[dexeron]

Which one? There are two.

Do you mean the one allowing police to arrest tourists and other foreign nationals merely suspected of being gay?

Or do you mean the one so broadly worded that any expression of tolerance for homosexuality can be criminalized, so long as it can be shown that that expression is "accessable" by children. In other words, even merely publically stating that gay people should have equal rights.

[dziga123]

I think that photo needs some explanation.
You can see the tactic that government supported defenders of "traditional values" widely use in Russia: they take children to gay events. Older punks knock gays down and then children kick them with feet and sticks, while they on the ground. You can see this on the picture. Police, of course, do not interfere.

[underlankers]

There's no surprise in an ex-KGB agent cracking down on gay rights. In fact it's pretty predictable that a veiled dictator raised on Soviet-era douchebaggery would do that. However Hitler's treatment of Jews in the 1936 Olympics was fairly decent: the street bum was too smart to engage in medieval-style scapegoating of that sort with the whole world watching. Putin, on the other hand, is debatably that smart. I mean we are talking about a guy who poisoned an exile in London.

[telemann]

I've corrected the date for the games in Germany, so thanks for that catch!

[underlankers]

You're welcome. In 1938, though, Kristallnacht actually was condemned outside and inside Germany. Outside it on humanitarian grounds, inside it on grounds of considering property damage beneath German dignity.

[skull_bearer]

Yes, but I don't think Hitler would have ordered Kristallnatch if he'd expected the Olympic games six months later.