INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PROPOSES END TO ANTI-GAY DISCRIMINATION

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced a proposal to include sexual orientation in the non-discrimination language in Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter, reports The Advocate.

The IOC received criticism from LGBT advocacy groups for hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia, given the country’s national law against “gay propaganda”. During the the games, the IOC appeared to defend the arrests and beating of LGBT activists.

Principle 6 currently states:

“Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.”

Supporting the proposal, GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said:

“No athlete or fan should face fear of discrimination because of who they love. The International Olympic Committee must seize this opportunity to protect Olympic attendees and affirm its commitment to equality across the globe.”

The IOC will vote on this and 39 other proposed amendments in December.

IOC Adds Anti-Discrimination Clause to Olympic Host City Contract

Following the international backlash against the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) handling of the human rights crisis in Russia specifically as it pertained to the nation's hosting of the 2014 Winter Olympiad in Sochi, the IOC announced today it would add a new non-discrimination clause to its host city contract that would uphold Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter which states, "Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement."

From LGBT activist group All Out:

“This is a significant step in ensuring the protection of both citizens and athletes around the world and sends a clear message to future host cities that human rights violations, including those against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, will not be tolerated,” said Andre Banks, co-founder and executive director of All Out...

According to IOC Sports Director, Christopher Dubi, the new clause will include “the prohibition of any form of discrimination, using the wording of Fundamental Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter." This clause will ensure that future host cities must abide by international human rights standards in order to host the games, including the protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens and athletes...

In a letter from [omitted] Dubi, the IOC stated that the changes to the host city contract “are the result of the experience gained by the IOC in previous editions of the Olympic Games." He explained that the changes are aimed at “addressing certain potential concerns for candidate cities and future host cities, in the spirit of good faith and cooperation, and taking into consideration certain comments made by the candidate cities.“

Human Rights Pledge Urged for Future Olympic Hosts

Citing widespread dismay with Russia’s anti-gay laws, a coalition of more than 30 human rights and gay rights groups is calling on the International Olympic Committee to ensure that future Olympic host countries do not have discriminatory laws on their books.

The coalition - including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the Human Rights Campaign - made the demands in a joint letter to IOC President Thomas Bach as the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, neared their close. 

"The contracts should include clear sanctions for failing to respect these commitments, up to and including a relocation of the games," the letter said.

The letter also urged the IOC to amend Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter to specify that the Olympic movement’s condemnation of discrimination extends to discrimination based on sexual orientation and sexual identity. Full story here!

The "Principle 6 Movement" Looks Like It's Winning At the Olympics

While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has refused to address Russia's anti-gay legislation, it seems it is finally ready to take a stand against discrimination, at least at future Games.

On Tuesday, the committee announced that it may revise its policy so that future Olympic bid cities have to fully comply with the Olympic Charter, which considers "any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement."

The IOC has been heavily criticized by many for turning a blind eye to the wave of protests against discriminatory legislation in Sochi. After more than a dozen LGBT protesters were arrested and beaten earlier this month, the IOC's media chief said that as far as the committee was concerned, the protesters "were quickly released" — thus absolving them of any need to intercede.

"I am glad to hear that the IOC has heard the message of the Principle 6 campaign loud and clear and I look forward to working with them to turn their comments into commitments.," said Hudson Taylor, the founder of activism network Athlete Ally. "The integrity of the Olympic games is materially affected by the laws of host countries. But I am confident that by changing their policies, the IOC will be able to remain true to their principles."

Critics have pointed to Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter, which specifically points out that discrimination of any kind is contrary to the goal of the Olympics. Now, the IOC may make it a requirement for future host cities to actually abide by that principle.

"It is not something that is specifically looked at but if there is a groundswell of opinion it could be," said IOC spokesperson Mark Adams.

As of now, belonging in the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Charter, although little has been done to really enforce it. In the lead-up to Sochi, the IOC has signaled that it values national sovereignty over making a sociopolitical statement. "The games should not be an occasion and a stage to promote rights that sports support daily," said Mario Pescante, the head of the IOC's International Relations Commissions, last month. He later added, "There are always going to be issues wherever the games are held."

Instead of engaging in a dialogue about whether Sochi is a safe environment for all attendees, or whether Russia actually embodies the Olympic spirit of inclusion and tolerance, the IOC has taken President Vladimir Putin at his word — the same man who promised that while homosexuals can "feel safe and free here," they must "leave our children in peace" and respect "our traditions and our culture."

Though little can be done about Sochi — there are only four days of competition left — the IOC's announcement signifies a move in the right direction. The IOC won't commit to anything certain for now, but it's at least promising to consider the idea that maybe Olympic host cities should not openly discriminate against people. And that's better than the PR spiel we've been getting over the past few months.

Hey Vladimir! Kiss My Putin!!!

Gay Rights Activist Detained at Olympic Park

An Italian activist shouting "It’s OK to be gay" and dressed in a rainbow-colored outfit and large headdress was detained Monday as she entered an arena to watch an Olympic hockey game.

Vladimir Luxuria, a former Communist lawmaker in the Italian parliament who has become a prominent transgender rights crusader and television personality, was stopped by four men and then driven away by police in a car with Olympic markings.

It was not known where she was taken.

Luxuria had been walking around the Olympic Park in Sochi for about two hours. She was shouting "Gay is OK" and "It’s OK to be gay" in both English and Russian.

As she was being led away from Shayba Arena, she was shouting "I have a ticket."

Luxuria earlier said she was detained on Sunday evening by Russian police who told her she should not wear clothes with slogans supporting gay rights. Police denied detaining her. Full story here!

Putin has racist, who depicted Obamas as monkey with banana, light Olympic flame

My god what an awful country.  Russian President Vladimir Putin selected a woman, who previously depicted President Obama and his wife Michelle monkeys ogling a banana, to light the Olympic flame during the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics, being held in Sochi, Russia.

Russia has a long history of virulent, and violent, racism against blacks, and those they consider black (basically anyone who isn’t blond).  And it would seem odd in a civilized country that one would choose to broadcast one’s hatred of black people to the world during an event that is supposedly about world peace and harmony, but this is Russia.

Russian former figure skater Irina Rodnina lit the flame.  She also posted this on Twitter a few months ago:

It’s truly amazing how poorly Russia is coming off during these Olympics, what with the ongoing toilet disasters, the overall shoddy condition of the Olympic hotels, and yesterday’s news that the Russians have installed spy-cams in the showers of Olympic hotel guests.

Not only has the world learned how much Russians hate gay and trans people – and we already knew they hate Jews, and basic democratic freedoms – but now we’re learning that Russia a supremely racist country as well.

Russia is so racist that the country’s president thought it funny to use a racist to tweak the President of the United States during the key moment of the Olympics.

What a shameful Olympics this has turned into.

#CheersToSochi

Lesbian Snowboarder Becomes First Openly-Gay Athlete To Protest In Sochi

A lesbian snowboarder from the Netherlands became the first Olympic athlete to protest at the Games in Sochi. Yesterday, after a failed attempt to qualify for the slope style event, Dutch snowboarder Cheryl Maas looked into the camera then held her glove up to the camera’s lens.

The glove was covered with a rainbow and unicorn, two distinct icons associated with the LGBT community.

Maas, who is 29, is married to Norwegian former snowboarder Stine Brun Kjeldaas.

As Towleroad notes, she is also one of just six openly-gay athletes in the Sochi Olympics. 

Watch. The protest comes after the two-minute mark:

In Honor of TEAM USA!

Dustin Lance Black: ‘Allowing Russia to host these (Olympics) is a monumental hypocrisy that threatens to tarnish one of this world’s greatest traditions’

So the Olympics are underway in Sochi, Russia, and the focus is on the athletic competitions.

But it’s hard to enjoy the games for some of us because they are being held in a country with oppressive anti-gay laws.

I wrote about some of the arrests of LGBT demonstrators over at Gay Star News and included is a video that leaves you feeling outraged.

The crime? Waving rainbow pride flags in Red Square and singing the Russian national anthem.

Oscar winning screenwriter and LGBT activist Dustin Lance Black shared his thoughts on the situation in Russia in a blog post earlier today.

Here is an excerpt:

Last night a torch was lit to mark the opening of the 2014 Olympic games in Sochi. While I commend every athlete who takes part in these games, I can’t help but think of the many LGBT brothers and sisters I met on my recent trip to Russia who are persecuted daily just for being who they are.

The Olympic Charter’s 6th principle clearly states that discrimination of a person based on their immutable characteristics is “incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.” With this in mind I ask: how can the Olympics be held in a country that illegalizes, brutalizes, and marginalizes an entire group of people just for being who they are? Allowing Russia to host these games is a monumental hypocrisy that threatens to tarnish one of this world’s greatest traditions. We must never allow such hypocrisy again.

****

For the sake of those suffering in Russia and beyond, this moment must not be wasted. Over these next two weeks, I urge those within the glow of the Olympic flame: athletes, coaches, visitors, spectators and Russians alike to live in bravery and speak their truth openly as LGBT persons or allies of equality. History tells us that such valiant honesty can correct the record, dispel the lies and ultimately save countless lives.

These new laws in Russia were designed to create silence and darkness. The Olympic flame was built to shed light. With courage and heart from those on the ground, the light of the flame may yet prove one of the greatest heroes of these Olympic games.

To learn how you can support LGBT Russians visit http://uprisingoflove.org/

Rachel Maddow on Friday at the Olympics

Rachel Maddow devoted a segment of her show Friday night to the many arrests of LGBT people in Russia yesterday and then noted the irony of a performance by fake lesbian group T.A.T.U. and the Russian team marching into the opening ceremonies to a song sung by Freddie Mercury, a gay man.

She Added:

"A lot about the recent anti-gay lurch in Russia is kind of hilarious in its ignorance. But most of it is not. Nobody wants politics mixed up in their Olympics or vice versa, but this really is how Russia started the Olympic Games today on day one. Holding our breath for day two."

NBC Edits Out IOC Anti-Discrimination Statement From Opening Ceremony

Russia's anti-gay laws have been a major focus in the lead-up to the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, and during his address at today's opening ceremony IOC president Thomas Bach made a strong statement against "any form of discrimination" and in favor of tolerance. Viewers worldwide heard the statement; NBC viewers in the U.S. did not, because the network edited it out.

Here's a transcript of Bach's speech from British TV. NBC edited out the bolded portion.

Good evening, dear Athletes. Mr president of the Russian Federation, Mr Secretary General of the United Nations, Good evening Olympic friends and fans around the world! Welcome to the 22nd Olympic Winter Games! Tonight, we are writing a new page in Olympic history. What has been achieved in seven years is a remarkable achievement. I would like it thank, in again, the president of the Russian Federation and his Government. The Sochi organising committee. The Russian Olympic committee. And the IOC members in Russia. Thank you to all the workers for your great contribution under sometimes difficult circumstances. Thank you to all the people of Sochi and the Krasnodar region. Thank you for your patience, thank you for your understanding during these years of transformation.
Now you are living in an Olympic Region. I am sure you will enjoy the benefits for many, many years to come. Thousands of volunteers have welcomed us with the well-known warm Russian hospitality. Many thanks to all the wonderful volunteers. Bolshoi spasiba, valantyoram! Thank you very much to everyone. Russia and the Russians have set the stage for you, the best winter athletes on our planet. From this moment on you are not only the best athletes, you are Olympic Athletes. You will inspire us with your outstanding sports performances. You have come here for sports. You have come here with your Olympic dream. The International Olympic Committee wants your Olympic Dream to come true. This is why we are investing almost all of our revenues in the development of sports. The universal Olympic rules apply to each and every athlete- no matter where you come from or what your background is. You are living together in the Olympic Village. You will celebrate victory with dignity and accept defeat with dignity. You are bringing the Olympic Values to life. In this way, the Olympic Games, wherever they take place, set an example for a peaceful society. Olympic Sport unites people. This is the Olympic Message the athletes spread to the host country and to the whole world. Yes, it is possible to strive even for the greatest victory with respect for the dignity of your competitors. Yes, Yes, it is possible - even as competitors - to live together under one roof in harmony, with tolerance and without any form of discrimination for whatever reason. Yes, it is possible - even as competitors - to listen, to understand and to give an example for a peaceful society.
Olympic Games are always about building bridges to bring people together. Olympic Games are never about erecting walls to keep people apart. Olympic Games are a sports festival embracing human diversity in great unity. Therefore, I say to the political leaders of the world - thank you for supporting your athletes. They are the best ambassadors of your country. Please respect their Olympic Message of goodwill, of tolerance, of excellence and of peace. Have the courage to address your disagreements in a peaceful, direct political dialogue and not on the backs of the athletes. APPLAUSE To all sports officials and sports fans I say - join and support our fight for fair play, the athletes deserve it. To you - my fellow Olympic Athletes - I say, respect the rules, play fair, be clean, respect your fellow athletes in and out of competition. We all wish you joy in your Olympic effort and a wonderful Olympic experience. APPLAUSE To all of you - Athletes, Officials, Fans and Spectators around our globe - I say, enjoy the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games! And now I have the honour of inviting the president of the Russian Federation, Mister Vladimir Putin, to declare open the 22nd Olympic Winter Games.

Queer Nation Splashes Olympic Flag with Blood Outside Russian Consulate in NYC

More than 100 members of LGBT activist group Queer Nation demonstrated in front of the Russian consulate in New York City at noon yesterday, including three people wearing Putin masks who dumped fake blood on the Olympic flag to underscore the IOC's complicity with the Russian government.

The group reports, via press release:

"We've focused on the IOC and how holding the Olympics in Sochi goes against everything in its charter," said Queer Nation member Ken Kidd, referring to past Queer Nation protests. "We've focused on NBC and major Olympic sponsors like Coke and McDonalds, who pay lip service to equality while profiting from inequality and ignoring Putin's human rights atrocities. Now we're once again laying our message right on Putin's doorstep. The whole world is watching -- literally. Putin can't hide his pogrom behind the sports page."

Among the protesters were gay Russians who have fled Russia and are seeking asylum in the U.S., members of RUSA LGBT, an organization of gay and lesbian Russian expatriates, students from Queens College, and members of Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village. They chanted "Queer rights are human rights!" and "Gay bashing is not an Olympic sport!"; held "Putin heads" on sticks; and carried anti-Putin signs in both English and Russian.

The protest is the latest in a series of high-profile protests launched by Queer Nation dating to July 2013. They include December 12 actions at two NBC employee Christmas parties and earlier confrontations with Moscow government officials at meetings promoting U.S. investment in Russia. The group has also targeted supporters of Putin performing at the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall as well as "Russia Day" at the New York Stock Exchange.

Queer Nation has also targeted corporate sponsors of the Olympics, most notably Coca-Cola and McDonalds, through pointed, successful social media campaigns, including appropriating McDonalds' #CheersToSochi Twitter hash tag.

"The Russian government is on notice that the start of the Olympics is not the end of this fight," said Scott Wooledge, another Queer Nation member. "Overturning these laws and ensuring the rights of LGBT Russians is the only way for Putin to begin to repair that damage to his reputation on the world stage the passage of these laws has done."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon Denounces Attacks on LGBTI People in Sochi Remarks

UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon gave a speech ahead of the Olympic games in Sochi condemned attacks on LGBTI people worldwide without specifically mentioning Russia's anti-gay law, the Guardian reports:

Ban Ki-moon, addressing the IOC before Friday's opening ceremony, highlighted the fact that the theme of the UN's human rights day last December was "sport comes out against homophobia".

"Many professional athletes, gay and straight, are speaking out against prejudice. We must all raise our voices against attacks on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex people," he said. "We must oppose the arrests, imprisonments and discriminatory restrictions they face."

"The United Nations stands strongly behind our own 'free and equal' campaign, and I look forward to working with the IOC, governments and other partners around the world to build societies of equality and tolerance. Hatred of any kind must have no place in the 21st century."

He offered further remarks at a separate press conference with IOC president Thomas Bach.

Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak was later asked for his reaction to the UN secretary general's remarks, USA Today reports:

Kozak was also asked for his reaction to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who blasted any "arrests, imprisonments and discriminatory restrictions" carried out against homosexuals during a speech to the IOC on Thursday morning. The comments were pointed toward Russia's so-called "gay propaganda" law, which has inspired various forms of protest and political blowback leading up to the Games.

Kozak essentially repeated Russian president Vladimir Putin, who said the law only bans propaganda aimed at minors and that gay athletes and visitors won't be arrested in Sochi.

"We don't differentiate between people depending on nationality, religion or sexual relations," Kozak said. "We are all grown-ups and any adult has the right to understand their sexual acts. Please don't touch the kids, that's the only thing."

US Warships Arrive in Black Sea to Keep an Eye on Sochi Olympics

The USS Mount Whitney and USS Taylor sailed into the Black Sea as American authorities warned of 'specific threats' against the 2014 Winter Games. Two United States warships were headed to the Black Sea just two days before the Winter Olympics were set to begin in Sochi, Russia.

The USS Mount Whitney sailed into the Black Sea, and the USS Taylor was slated to arrive later on Wednesday, NBC News reported.

Pentagon officials told NBC the ships would act as support vehicles for American security operations there.

The Whitney was constructed for communications. If the National Security Agency were to build a boat, the Whitney might be it.

The Taylor packs more of a physical punch as a guided missile frigate.

On Tuesday, the National Counterterrorism Center director told Congress that US and Russian authorities were tracking “a number of specific threats” aimed at Sochi.

According to the Whitney’s website, its “communications capability is second to none.”

Matthew Olsen said the greatest threat resides outside Sochi, coming from extremists in the nearby Caucasus.

The United States added to the watch list on Wednesday, saying “hacktivists” might use the Winter Games to further their causes. According to a tip sheet issued by the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team, anyone watching the Olympics online or live should safeguard their communications and only visit "trusted websites."

“For example, the hacktivist group, Anonymous Caucasus, has launched what appears to be a threat against any company that finances or supports the Winter Games,” CERT said.

It also suggested that anyone in Sochi with a smartphone should assume their communications might be monitored.

Athletes were also asked to take precautions in Russia.

In late January, US officials told athletes to remain inside the Olympic security areas. If they did leave, officials told athletes to leave their Team USA clothing behind.

“If you are an American Olympic athlete, you don’t want to advertise that far outside the Olympic venues,” a State Department official said, according to CNN.

Watch the Olympics at a Pride House Near You!

Very proud of my friend Jeremy Glazer for being part of this.
Love ya Jer!

As the Olympics Begin, Here's a Message for Vlady Putin and His Goons