General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRussia's anti-gay law gives 'licence to thugs and hooligans,' says Star Trek's George Takei
Source: Canadian Press
Former "Star Trek" actor George Takei has reasserted his stance that next year's Winter Olympics should be moved from Sochi to Vancouver due to Russia's "horrific" and "homophobic" anti-gay laws.
... Takei says the law has given "licence to the thugs and the hooligans, who then felt free to attack anyone that they deemed to look gay or lesbian." And Takei warns that giving Putin an Olympic platform will only increase his support and lead to "other horrific, oppressive things."
"We've gotta learn from history," Takei said this week in a telephone interview from his California home. "In 1936, the Olympics committee granted the rights to stage the Summer Olympics in Berlin. Three years before that, Hitler came to power and he got a law passed which seemed innocuous at that time: Jewish professors could not get tenure.
... "Putin is a former KGB guy, and now he's president of Russia, and he got this some people say it's innocuous, I think it's horrific propaganda law passed, homophobic propaganda law passed. And now we're offering him that same international stage, that same international spotlight.... I think we need to take the Winter Olympics away from Russia."
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Russia+anti+gives+licence+thugs+hooligans+says+Star+Trek+George/8788673/story.html
Scuba
(53,475 posts)dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)That's especially given that the US and the UK have both said they won't boycott it.
shenmue
(38,506 posts)I'm sure the setup is a logistical mess. It's probably too late to change everything to Canada right now. I hope the IOC will deny future games sites to Russia instead.
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)although FIFA are looking into 2018 as well. Football is easy to move anyway.
If changed I sincerely doubt it would be to Canada anyway - wrong side of the Atlantic.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)of recrimination for going to kiss Putin's bigoted ass for hopes of getting a cereal commercial. Sports culture is a bigot culture.
TexasTowelie
(111,938 posts)He said that he was willing take the risk of being arrested. That doesn't sound like he is kissing anyone's ass (except for his husband?).
Tarheel_Dem
(31,222 posts)cascadiance
(19,537 posts)... forces and speak out as well towards Russia's mess! Say that if we want a future depicted in Star Trek of a united population of earth to be a part of the galaxy in the future, that these laws need to change!
Cha
(296,848 posts)the important thing is that people are getting out there voicing their opinions on "Russia's "horrific" and "homophobic" anti-gay laws."!
... "Putin is a former KGB guy, and now he's president of Russia, and he got this some people say it's innocuous, I think it's horrific propaganda law passed, homophobic propaganda law passed. And now we're offering him that same international stage, that same international spotlight.... I think we need to take the Winter Olympics away from Russia."
Thank you, Newsjock
Mahalo, George Takei!
michigandem58
(1,044 posts)That beacon of enlightenment.