A U.S. human rights organization is pressuring President Obama to
appoint LGBT community leaders to the official Olympics delegation for
the upcoming Sochi Games as a form of protest against Russia's anti-gay
laws. Miami Herald reports:
Human
Rights First, in a recent letter to senior Obama adviser Valerie
Jarrett, said "the selection of the members of the official U.S.
delegations for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Sochi Olympics
is an important opportunity to signal to Russia and the world the
priority the Obama administration places on equality and human dignity."
"We urge you to ensure that the U.S.
delegation include prominent LGBT people - athletes, government
officials and others - as well as allies of the LGBT community who will
carry a message of tolerance and respect for individual rights and human
dignity."
Obama has denounced the Russian law, but
the White House has yet to decide whom it will send to Sochi to
represent the United States at the games' ceremonies. The international
sporting event will be Feb. 7-23.
"I think we've been very clear in our
views about both the laws in place and the issues surrounding LGBT
rights and our expectations of Russia when it comes to conducting the
Olympics," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Friday.
No comments:
Post a Comment