Staff Writer
The
2014 Winter Olympics are slated to be held in Sochi, Russia, but many United
States citizens are calling for a boycott of the games. On June 30, Russian
President Vladimir Putin signed a human-rights-crushing bill banning “propaganda
of nontraditional sexual relations,” in the presence of minors. This
“propaganda” includes marching in a gay pride parade, holding a rainbow colored
flag, or even just holding hands with someone of the same sex. Offenders are
subject to a hefty fine of up to $150 for citizens (up to $31,000 for
organizations) and can serve as many as two weeks in jail. The law is the
culmination of a massive crackdown on Russia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender citizens. Before the vote, which was of 436 in favor, zero against,
a group of LGBT Russians staged a kiss-in to protest the bill. Meanwhile, a few
hundred angry citizens threw eggs and other objects at the protestors, as well chanted
Russian Orthodox songs and beat them. Thankfully, the police showed up and
calmed the riot by somehow finding the logic to arrest the LGBT protestors, who
were in the process of being beat on and harassed.
You
can see why 3,568 Americans (and counting) have signed an online petition for a
boycott of the Sochi Olympics; however, a boycott is not the answer. Clearly,
this law directly violates the basic human rights of the citizens of Russia,
but if we refuse to participate in the Olympics it is a no win situation.
Should the U.S. elect to boycott the Olympics, the athletes who have trained hard
for their entire lives to reach this stage would not be recognized for their
outstanding efforts. However, a U.S. boycott of the Sochi Olympics could cause
serious damage to Russia’s international image. Adversely, if we allow American
athletes to participate in the Olympics, those athletes get to realize their
dream, and if a homosexual athlete wins a medal it would be a vengeful slap in
the face to Russia’s anti-gay law. President Barack Obama agrees, saying, "One
of the things I'm really looking forward to is maybe some gay and lesbian
athletes bringing home the gold or silver or bronze, which I think would go a
long way in rejecting the kind of attitudes that we're seeing there," the
president said. About a month ago,
Russia assured the International Olympic Committee that there would be no
discrimination against homosexuals during the games, but the country refused to
back down from the enforcement of the new laws, even if it meant punishing the
athletes involved.
Athletes
from the LGBT community, such as former U.S. Olympic champion diver Greg Louganis, a four-time gold
medalist, agree with President Obama’s point.
"I think that [American figure skater] Johnny Weir and [New Zealand
speed skater] Blake Skjellerup, they're a walking propaganda if they go to
Russia and are able to compete," Louganis explained. "Let them have
that opportunity -- show the world who they are." Robbie Rodgers, the
first openly gay male athlete to play soccer in the U.S., said he couldn’t
imagine supporting a boycott and potentially preventing athletes from living
the experience that he did five years ago, when he participated in the 2008
Olympics. "I'd go. I'd make no
secret of the fact I'm gay and I'd take every opportunity to let people know
the truth about my life, which I've done since I came out this past February.
And if I were a straight athlete, I'd go and take every opportunity to let
people know that I support the rights of all people to live free from the
threat of discrimination. After all, isn't freedom an Olympic ideal?"
Rodgers wrote in a column published in USA Today.
Others
are calling for an absolute ban of the games, including British broadcaster
Stephen Fry, who called for the games to be moved out of Sochi in an open
letter to U.K Prime Minister David Cameron. "An absolute ban on the
Russian Winter Olympics of 2014 in Sochi is simply essential. Stage them
elsewhere in Utah, Lillehammer, anywhere you like," Fry wrote. "At
all costs Putin cannot be seen to have the approval of the civilized
world."
This
isn’t the first time that Americans have called for a boycott of the Olympics
in Russia. The 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow were boycotted by 65 countries,
including the United States, in response to Russia’s (then the Soviet Union)
invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union then boycotted the 1984 games in Los
Angeles in protest. However the boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow did not
change a thing and instead took a heavy toll on the American athletes who were
not able to participate, including former U.S. swimmer Tracy Caulkins Stockwell.
Caulkins would go on to win three gold medals in Los Angeles four years later,
but she still holds some anger from the 1980 boycott. "What really hits
home to me about the boycott was the Soviets didn't pull out of Afghanistan for
nine years," Caulkins said. "Did it put any pressure on them? No, it
was just a missed opportunity for many athletes. It just doesn't seem
fair." To put it simply, boycotting just does not work. Putin will not
just simply repeal the law because America wants him to, it is not that easy.
Keeping our best athletes out of Russia will not intimidate Putin, in fact it
may only hurt America’s image.
We
do not compete in the Olympics to force other countries to follow our political
agenda; we compete because the Olympic Games are one of the rare opportunities
for the world to finally stop disagreeing over everything and join together. Refusing
to participate in the Winter Olympics in Sochi would damage Russia’s
international reputation, but proving a point is not worth destroying the hopes
and dreams of the hundreds of American athletes who have worked their whole
lives to compete in the Olympics. So how can the U.S. participate in the games
and still prove its point that intolerance will not be accepted? By marching
into their country with heads held high, standing in support of all the LGBT
citizens of Russia who will suffer horribly until the cruel and misguided laws
are repealed.
