All the latest breaking news on the Winter Olympics. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on the Winter Olympics.
Gay freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy said it was a moment that he “never dreamed” possible as a child after he was filmed kissing his partner on live television at the Olympics. It has been hailed by some as a landmark moment in Games history and the footage went viral on social media. (more…)
Johnny Weir, US Figure Skater has confirmed that he has split from his Husband.
Grindr Use In Sochi Triples During Olympics.
• The popular hook up app has had its users triple in the first week of the Olympic games
• One week ago there was 185 active users, now there are 541 users
• Grindr rival in Russia Hunters was recently hacked and shut down.
Vocativ is reporting that numbers of users on the popular hook up app Grindr have tripled during the Winter Olympic games. The total number of users in Russia is around 55,000 – small compared to countries such as the UK or USA, but there is much potential for growth as long as anti-gay groups don’t use the service to lure gay men to attack and entrap them.
One such group was filmed for Channel 4’s Dispatches programme called Hunted. The programme caused outcry in the UK, when a group of men and one woman, Katya (Ekaterina) Zigunova, were filmed savagely beating and interrogating a gay man they found using an Internet site. Last year a man was reportedly killed after he was lured, sanred and then tortured by a group, who posed as an individual on a social network site, who wanted to meet.
Russia does have its own hook up app, called Hunters. It was, however, recently hacked and shut down.
The app had around 72,000 active users, of which the tech team were only able to retrieve 24% after the hack.The company is now moving its servers to prevent further attacks.
Last year the Russian government passed a bill making it illegal to talk about ‘non-traditional’ relationships to anyone under the age of 18. A 100-year ban was also put in place on holding a gay pride in Moscow.
THEGAYUK approached Grindr to ask if they had in place any safeguards for users in Russia to protect them from abuse from anti-gay abusers. We are waiting for their response.
A carnival is due to take place outside the Russian Embassy tomorrow to celebrate Valentine’s Day, called For Russia With Love.
The event that is being sponsored by Lush, All Out, London Roller Girls and the Peter Tatchell Foundation, is aiming to show opposition to the human rights abuses in Russia.
The rally’s start time is 12PM until 2:00PM
Address: Russian Embassy, Assemble corner Bayswater Road & Ossington Street, London W8 4QP
Nearest tube station: Notting Hill Gate
‘We are rallying near the Russian Embassy in London to show our opposition to the continued human rights abuses sanctioned by the Putin regime, including the new anti-gay law banning “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations to minors”, which has coincided with an upsurge in homophobic and transphobic violence in the country,’ said co-organiser Juliet Chard of Lush.
Fellow co-organiser Peter Tatchell added:
‘The Sochi Olympics are in full swing. This carnival is our fun way to keep up the pressure on the Russian government and show our support for LGBT Russians and all Russian victims of human rights abuses. We don’t want Putin to think that now the Olympics have started the protests are over. Let’s keep highlighting the terrible things happening in Russia and support the heroic Russian activists – gay and straight – who are defending human rights. Freedom of expression for all.’
With the world watching it seems the perfect time for human rights activists to stand up and say ‘enough is enough Russia, we won’t be silent any longer.’ However, this is coming at a great price according to The New York Times who reports that 61 people since Friday have been arrested for doing just this.
It’s not just new Russian laws protesters are angry at but also the Olympics Committee themselves for allowing the Olympics to go ahead in a country with outrageous human rights violations and homophobia. Many protesters have taken to using the Principle 6 slogan which comes from 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.
To top this off, the eyes of the world are on Sochi from today – with the opening of the Winter Olympics, and the patronage of dozens of sponsors and the IOC. Seemingly, despite calls for the games to be moved, they are staying put with the clarion call of “keep politics out of sport”.
However, there are mixed signals here – is ensuring that people have basic human rights across the globe really politics? When there were issues over South Africa and apartheid, it actually felt wrong to buy something flown in from there when we were urged to hit them where it hurt – in the economic pocket.
So what’s the issue here? My social media timelines are full of conflicting messages.
1: Boycott the games totally as a show of support for gay people over there, show Russia that the world wont stand for this by NOT participating in the myth that everything is lovely and there aren’t cases of state sanctioned beatings and murders which are available to view as shared videos fly around various sites.
2: Watch the games as a way of showing Russia that the world really is watching and watching carefully. Every loo seat that is put on the wrong way round in a journalists hotel, every reported case of “canine cleansing” where companies are recruited to clear the streets of stray dogs days ahead of the opening ceremony, every report of $30 Billion of a reported $50 billion budget going missing…
What’s the answer? Is there one? Is it a case of make your own mind up? Make an informed decision? If this interests you, and we have to accept it won’t interest everyone, then read what you can and decide for yourself.
Me? I hate sport – dull as dishwater, so I wouldn’t be watching anyway – but I am boycotting some of the sponsors.
Why I hear you cry? It’s simple really – it’s my own little response, my own little act of defiance. I’m just me, one teeny tiny individual in the world – but I hate bullies and having seen some of the footage around, that’s what this feels like it comes down to – sanctioned bullying. I had enough of that at school and I’ll be damned if I’ll stand by and watch it happen elsewhere IF I feel I can do something about it.
So, a certain well known brand of soft drink is off the menu for good – my teeth and general health will no doubt thank me too! It won’t change the world, it won’t stop the bullying and assaults happening worldwide, but it makes me feel like I’m doing something. They may think they can placate us as a group by adding a lovely image of gay marriage to their recent ad – but compare that with being beaten and humiliated for what you are and it just doesn’t cut it.
So, do what your heart tells you is right – watch or don’t watch, support the sponsors or don’t. Remember, we have the freedom to decide to do this, some don’t have that luxury.
Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, it’s management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.
When users click on the google doodle, users are taken to a search that includes the Olympic charter.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has come under strong criticism since awarding Russia, with its terrible gay rights abuses, the Winter Olympics, in Sochi, which are due to begin today.
Yesterday Channel 4 in the UK launched a video which supports gay rights within the Olympics. Whilst earlier in the week telecoms giant AT&T became the first major Olympic team sponsor to publicly condemn Russia’s anti-gay laws.
TheGayUK released its findings this week that shows the potential true cost to companies that have commercially supported the Olympics.
Gay rights activists will be holding a demonstration today in cities all over the world, against the homophobia faced by LGBTs in Russia.
• Protest will take place outside Downing Street in Central London
• Protestors asked to wear red to symbolise Love
• Channel 4 to air Gay Hunted Programme about Homophobia In Russia Tonight.
• Tube Strike threatens numbers of protestors.
With just a day away from the Sochi Winter Olympics opening, gay rights protesters will be taking to the streets of cities around the world to protest the treatment of LGBT people in Russia.
A mounting disquiet has been bubbling away as the world’s spotlight is now cast upon Russia‘s dreadful treatment of LGBT people, as an event that threatens to permanently damage the Olympics’ brand starts tomorrow.
Last year Russia’s president Vladimir Putin signed into a law which made the ‘promotion of non-traditional relationships’ illegal to anyone under the age of 18. A 100 year ban was also placed on holding any pride events in Moscow.
In London protesters are expected to gather near downing street from 6:00PM. the events have been created by mass petitioning site AllOut.org. Organisers are asking attendees to wear red.
Tonight Channel 4 will be broadcasting a Dispatches which shows the true horror gay people face in Russia, in a programme called: Hunted .
Our correspondent Greg Mitchell said of the film:
‘This deeply disturbing programme, directed by Ben Steele and reported by Liz MacKean, shows us a bleak picture of a Russia, where gay people are literally hunted down like animals, subjected to humiliating and painful abuse.’
London is in the midst of a 48 hour strike – so to find out how to get to Downing Street click here.
TheGayUK will be Live Blogging the events from here
TV star Paul O’Grady is to lead Russia Protest In London tonight.
Tonight’s protest will be at Downing Street from 6PM
Travel Stikes Threatens Success Of Protest
Keep up-to-date with TheGayUK
The protest has been organised by the international LGBT pressure group, All Out, and the Peter Tatchell Foundation.
In London protesters are expected to gather near downing street from 6:00PM. the events have been created by mass petitioning site AllOut.org. Organisers are asking attendees to wear red.
‘Our protest is urging the British and Russian governments, and the International Olympic Committee, to uphold Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits discrimination. We are also calling on Olympic corporate sponsors – such as Coca Cola, McDonalds and Visa – to speak out against Russia’s anti-gay law and homophobic violence. So far, they have failed to do so,’
noted protest co-organiser and speaker, Peter Tatchell, Director of the human rights organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation.
For travel updates go to our Gay Protest Travel Update page
TheGayUK will be Live Blogging from 6:00PM tonight
With one of biggest mass organised world-wide protests being organised for today (5th Feb 2014) THEGAYUK unveils it’s readers’ survey about what gay people think about the brands that are sponsoring the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
We asked a representative sample (162) of THEGAYUK readers their thoughts on the commercial supporters of this year’s Winter Olympics.
A whopping 76% of the people who were questioned knew at least one of the Olympic Sponsors.
When asked whether they’d boycott the brands involved 60% said that they would consider banning a brand from their house.
Nearly half of those questioned had already boycotted a brand with a Russian connection (44%)
75% agreed that sponsorship of the Sochi Winter Olympic games damaged a company’s LGBT friendly credentials.
AT&T were the first brand that actively condemn the current situation that LGBT people face in Russia – and although it’s not an official overall Olympics’ sponsor, it does sponsor the US Olympic team.
In an email from the petitioning site AllOut.org, organisers said:
‘Coca-Cola’s statement completely ignored people facing discrimination and abuse in Russia. Instead, they tried to rely on their history of supporting equality in countries like the US. That’s not enough – you can’t support lesbian, gay, bi and trans people when it’s convenient and stay silent when they need you the most.
‘In the time it took for Coca-Cola to issue their weak statement, the violence in Russia escalated. Anti-gay thugs broke into a meeting of organisers, beat people with baseball bats, and even shot one man in the eye. Over the weekend, another group even fired guns at a gay club in Moscow.’
Coca-Cola is one of the Sochi Winter Olympic main sponsors, along with ATOS, Dow, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, and Visa.
In research conducted by TheGayUK, we asked readers if a company’s sponsorship of the Sochi Winter Olympics threatened a company’s LGBT friendly image, to which 94.5% of respondents said that they agreed.
In a letter to the Human Rights Campaign, Edward E. Potter, the director of Global Workplace Rights at Coca-Cola said:
‘We have a longstanding commitment to the LGBT community. It is reflected in our statement that is available on our public website. We will continue to demonstrate our support of the LGBT community and, more broadly, promote our values for diversity through our policies and actions.
‘In the spirit of the Olympic Charter, as I indicated in my June letter, we believe the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has taken seriously the human rights concerns you have raised and followed up on them with a strong sense of urgency. As part of our long-term partnership with the IOC, we continually engage with them on various issues, including those that you have raised, that relate specifically to the Olympic Games.’
Read the letter to HRC
AllOut are now asking supporters to help create a campaign that will target Coca-Cola around the world. To find out more click here.