Toribash
Original Post
Should the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics be boycotted?
Russia will be cracking down on LGBT athletes and activists at the 2014 Olympic games in Sochi, and the IOC is going along with it. The reasoning behind the IOC's stance is that they do not condone propagandizing at the games. However, they also do not tolerate discrimination of the athletes. The big issue is that the IOC has apparently given priority to the first rule over the second. LGBT athletes and supporters will be expected to attend the games and say and do nothing with regards to the hostile and discriminatory atmosphere towards the LGBT community in Russia.

Many people are criticizing the IOC just as much, if not more, for not moving the games somewhere tolerant of LGBT athletes than for their turning a blind eye to Russia's threats.

So, is this stance by the IOC enough of an issue to boycott the Winter games?
Last edited by Thellian; Aug 14, 2013 at 03:04 AM.
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I think the whole "LET'S BOYCOT THE 2014 WINTER OLYMPICS!!!" is a mad idea.
It bothers people that mother Russia is abusive towards homosexuals, lesbians, ... so they go out and start propagating that the winter olympics shouldn't be held there.
For one the whole thing can hardly be stopped now anymore.
Also, the athletes, who have trained towards the event for four years or more, are the losing parties. Nobody wins. They only lose.
If anything, I think it's pretty clear to Putin now that the whole incident is causing grief in the western world. He's not gonna yield for anything. Putin doesn't yield for more dramatic issues than this.
Besides, it concerns me that this is being blown up in the media, and as such diverting attention from what's going around elsewhere, Syria for example.

If people want to stop the anti-holebi-hate in Russia, they should do it in some other way than block a sports event from happening there.
Last edited by Arglax; Aug 14, 2013 at 05:45 AM.
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The point about boycotting the games would be to send a message to both Russia and the IOC. Sure, the athletes have trained for the games, but I think working to end discrimination is a higher cause.
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I don't think what Russia is doing is that bad. Lots of countries don't allow same sex marriages, so civil unions isn't far off. Gay pride parades seem to be a movement towards identity and alienation and I personally wouldn't go to one. Obviously they had trouble in the past with these parades and have taken preventative steps, and I don't think anyone should have a problem with that. Stopping LGBT propaganda from being distributed to minors seems fine to me. In my country you aren't supposed to spread any propaganda of any kind to minors - though of course churches still manage to grab people at a tender age.

Russia is not actively against LGBT. Same-sex activity is legal, gender change is legal, don't ask don't tell military policy, they can adopt. They just can't marry or hold parades in moscow or preaching to children.

Different countries have different laws and cultures, Russia isn't even that extreme so I don't see why anyone would boycott.
Originally Posted by Thellian View Post
The point about boycotting the games would be to send a message to both Russia and the IOC. Sure, the athletes have trained for the games, but I think working to end discrimination is a higher cause.

The message has already been sent.

Originally Posted by ImmortalPig View Post
Russia is not actively against LGBT. Same-sex activity is legal, gender change is legal, don't ask don't tell military policy, they can adopt. They just can't marry or hold parades in moscow or preaching to children.

Russia is not actively against them, but their rights have been taken away.
If you're being the target of hatecrimes, the police won't help you. They will keep an eye closed and let it fester.
You can be arrested and incarcerated or sent to a camp in Russia for kissing in public (as an LGBT-couple).
It's a disgrace to humans, to be fair.
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Originally Posted by Arglax View Post
Russia is not actively against them, but their rights have been taken away.
If you're being the target of hatecrimes, the police won't help you. They will keep an eye closed and let it fester.
You can be arrested and incarcerated or sent to a camp in Russia for kissing in public (as an LGBT-couple).
It's a disgrace to humans, to be fair.

That's not policy, those are specific failures. There have been hate crimes, but in USA there are hate crimes too - attitudes of the people are not attitudes of the government.

By the way I doubt that last part is true. Citation needed.
Originally Posted by ImmortalPig View Post
I don't think what Russia is doing is that bad. Lots of countries don't allow same sex marriages, so civil unions isn't far off. Gay pride parades seem to be a movement towards identity and alienation and I personally wouldn't go to one. Obviously they had trouble in the past with these parades and have taken preventative steps, and I don't think anyone should have a problem with that. Stopping LGBT propaganda from being distributed to minors seems fine to me. In my country you aren't supposed to spread any propaganda of any kind to minors - though of course churches still manage to grab people at a tender age.

Russia is not actively against LGBT. Same-sex activity is legal, gender change is legal, don't ask don't tell military policy, they can adopt. They just can't marry or hold parades in moscow or preaching to children.

Different countries have different laws and cultures, Russia isn't even that extreme so I don't see why anyone would boycott.

I don't see how forbidding LGBT people marriages isn't actively against LGBT interests.
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Originally Posted by ImmortalPig View Post
That's not policy, those are specific failures. There have been hate crimes, but in USA there are hate crimes too - attitudes of the people are not attitudes of the government.

By the way I doubt that last part is true. Citation needed.

You mean about the kissing? That was wrong. I read in a Belgian newspaper that people had been arrested for kissing as it was allegedly propagating homosexualit, but I can't see to find any non-tabloid article about it on the internet. Strange. Homosexual propaganda is an offense in Russia, though.

One thing that bothers me most is that homosexual couples aren't allowed to adopt children.
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Originally Posted by Boredpayne View Post
I don't see how forbidding LGBT people marriages isn't actively against LGBT interests.

You messed that one up, you should have said "... forbidding LGBT people enter civil unions ...", since LGBT marriage is a different issue altogether.

I don't know what benefits civil unions or marriages in Russia bestow so I can't really continue that line of discussion.
Originally Posted by Arglax View Post
One thing that bothers me most is that homosexual couples aren't allowed to adopt children.

You are misrepresenting that issue. Homosexual couples cannot enter civil unions or marriages. Since there is no way for them to legally be acknowledge as a couple, there is no way for them to adopt children as a couple.

However there is no restriction on adoption for single parents, so although they cannot enter a civil union or marriage, they can still adopt.
Originally Posted by ImmortalPig View Post
You are misrepresenting that issue. Homosexual couples cannot enter civil unions or marriages. Since there is no way for them to legally be acknowledge as a couple, there is no way for them to adopt children as a couple.

However there is no restriction on adoption for single parents, so although they cannot enter a civil union or marriage, they can still adopt.

Hmmm. That makes sense. I'm retreating from this discussion before I make more stupid mistakes.
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