Gaycott Sochi

First off, I promise I’m still using this! I just get it in my head that blogging like this means that every post has to be Deep and Meaningful and long and blah blah blah that’s dumb. I should just frickin’ post!

Next February, there’ll be some Winter Olympics! Woohoo! I love the Olympics, for both seasons. The Olympics are my jam, serious talk. And just moments ago, it was announced that the NHL players have the okay to play for their national teams. Yay!

Or, maybe not yay?

If you aren’t aware, the 2014 Winter Olympics are being held in Sochi, Russia. And Russia has just laid down some new laws about homosexuality–and they’re pretty terrible laws. Essentially, speaking positively about any sexual orientation that isn’t hetero is considered “propaganda” and if you spread it to minors, you can be arrested. I think most people get the feeling that the definition of said “propaganda” is not going to be very strict.

People are, therefore, rather worried about having the Olympics, which involves not only gay athletes but also plenty of gay fans from all over the world, in a country where these fans or athletes could be arrested potentially for just being openly gay. (I mean, if two dudes hold hands and smile near a child, couldn’t that be considered gay-positive propaganda towards a minor? Some people certainly think it is!) And, predictably, a number of people are calling for the boycott of these Sochi Olympics.

I’m not. I think that’s the worst thing you can do to speak up against what Russia’s done.

I’d much rather we send our gay athletes in. Send them in wearing rainbow flags right under their countries’ flags. Send in all the ally fans to cheer them on. Support gay athletes for ANY country if your country doesn’t have a participant in the competition. Keep it gay, and dare Russia to actually arrest anyone. There are two ways it can go:

1. Russia doesn’t arrest anyone, which will just go to show that their “moral convictions” are really a lot of bullshit if they can be so easily ignored in favor of international approval, and maybe that can start a movement to reverse the law.
2. Russia does arrest people, and the world can see just how disgusting this law is, see how inappropriate such laws and treatment of our fellow humans are.

One big piece of that, though, means that we can’t give Russian authorities any other reasons to arrest people. No wild parties. No talk-back to the cops. Certainly no acts of violence. Be polite, be civil, and be supportive of gay rights around the world.

Man, can you imagine if, say, Team USA and Team Canada showed up in the Olympic village wearing You Can Play buttons? DO IT. DO IT DO IT DO IT.