2014 Olympic Winter Games Boycott!

The winter Olympics will be in Sochi Russia next year and there is a talk of boycott it because of Russia’s policy on LGBT people…

Russia Says It Will Arrest Openly Gay Tourists
Russian president Vladimir Putin has passed a draconian law that calls for the arrest of anyone who is openly gay or supportive of gay rights.
Travel + Escape
Story by: Amanda Lee
July 10, 2013

Thinking of taking a vacation to Europe this summer? If a trip to iconic city of Moscow or the edgier St. Petersburg is on your bucket list, an anti-gay law recently passed in Russia may have you thinking again. It is now outlawed to be ‘out and proud.’

In a throwback to the country’s authoritarian ruling, Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed a controversial law that punishes people for “homosexual propaganda.” The law fines people—including tourists—up to 200,000 rubles ($6,240 CDN) for “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.” For Canadians—where same-sex marriage is legal—it is unfathomable that Russia’s laws permit the government to arrest and detain gay, or pro-gay, foreigners for up to 14 days before they would then be expelled from the country.

So what is considered pro-gay? Anything from gay-affirmative speech to hand-holding; even displaying a rainbow flag alongside a maple leaf on your backpack is illegal. Recently in southern Russia, there were complaints that Elton John’s stage outfits fell under “gay propaganda.” While LGBT are being told they are unwelcome in Russia, with such vague definitions, one wonders if anyone who even looks like they might be gay could also be fined or deported from the country.
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And how are these new laws going to impact tourism and the world’s spotlight on the upcoming 2014 Winter Games in Sochi? Will LGBT visitors—or anyone who embraces the gay community—want to visit the games?

It is time to start to consider boycotting the winter games, complaining to the IOC, the USOC and the television that is covering the Olympic; the Olympics should be open to all who want to attend.