Last Friday marked the beginning of the 2014
Winter Olympics. Athletes from across the globe came together and joined in the
celebration of the opening ceremonies. Most Olympic games are a time of unity
and recognition, this particular Olympic games has been marked with protest,
controversy, and discord.
Before the beginning of the games, Russia's
President, Vladimir Putin, actively spoke out against gay rights. In June of
2013, the Russian government created and passed a law that stated all
propaganda related to same-sex relationships/marriage. Everyday in Russia,
homosexuals are discriminated against and even attacked for their ways of life.
There are even dozens of cases where gays and lesbians have been murdered
because of their sexual orientation.
These acts of discrimination have caused quite
a bit of uprising and unrest during the games. Multiple athletes have spoken
out or displayed signs of protest against Putin and his stance against gays.
The first display of protest took place during
one of the first events; Men's slope style. After finishing his run, Russian
snowboarder, Alexey Sobolev, flashed the bottom of his snowboard to the camera
and revealed a picture that represented Russia's feminist protest group, Pussy
Riot. In early 2012, three members of the band were arrested for speaking out
against the government. They were eventually released in December of 2013.
Another display of protest came from
Australia's bobsled team. Displayed proudly on the front of their team's sled
is the symbol for Principle 6; the section of the Olympic Charter that states
"sport does not discriminate on the grounds of race, religion, politics,
gender or otherwise."
Of the athletes at the
games, only seven have stated that they are openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
While most of them have decided to stay mum on the topic, openly gay, Dutch
snowboarder, Cheryl Maas threw her glove that bared a unicorn and rainbows in
the face of the camera and walked off defiantly after her run on the slopes. On
the other hand, Anastasia Bucsis, a Canadian speed skater, stated that she'd
rather just do what she came to do and leave in peace.
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