General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums(Russian) Pole Vault Great Condemns Homosexuality at Worlds (also she's honorary mayor
of Sochi athletes' village)
Pole vault great Yelena Isinbayeva condemned homosexuality Thursday after criticizing competitors who painted their fingernails in rainbow colors to support gays and lesbians in the face of a new anti-gay law in Russia.
The Russian, who won her third world title Tuesday in front of a boisterous home crowd, came out in favor of the law which has drawn sharp criticism and led Western activists to call for a boycott of next year's Winter Olympics in the Russian resort of Sochi.
"If we allow to promote and do all this stuff on the street, we are very afraid about our nation because we consider ourselves like normal, standard people," Isinbayeva, a two-time Olympic champion, said in English. "We just live with boys with woman, woman with boys.
"Everything must be fine. It comes from history. We never had any problems, these problems in Russia, and we don't want to have any in the future."
<snip>
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/athletes-worlds-sport-rainbow-fingernails-19966078
Russian pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva, who is tasked with welcoming international athletes at one of Sochi's two Olympic Villages in 2014, criticized fellow athletes Thursday for painting their fingernails in rainbow colors to support LGBT rights in Russia.
Isinbayeva, who was named the "mayor" of Sochi's coastal Olympic Village, also declared her strong support for Russia's new anti-gay law.
"If we allow to promote and do all this stuff on the street, we are very afraid about our nation because we consider ourselves like normal, standard people,'' Isinbayeva, who won her third women's pole vaulting world title in Moscow this week, told The Associated Press.
<snip>
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/gay-in-maryland/gay-matters/bs-gm-sochi-athlete-greeter-criticizes-athletes-for-supporting-lgbt-rights-20130815,0,7975077.story
yesphan
(1,587 posts)"If we allow to promote and do all this stuff on the street, we are very afraid about our nation because we consider ourselves like normal, standard people," Isinbayeva, a two-time Olympic champion, said in English. "We just live with boys with woman, woman with boys."
And by the , you're not normal, standard people, you're Russians.
okieinpain
(9,397 posts)I'm weird and I'm known to see stuff that's not really there. lol.
OldEurope
(1,273 posts)is visiting the German athletes? He is gay and everybody knows.
Rex
(65,616 posts)Bless her little heart!
leftstreet
(36,097 posts)joeybee12
(56,177 posts)well, if not cojones, probably a beard, to call herself "normal" is, at least, ironic.
AZ Progressive
(3,411 posts)joeybee12
(56,177 posts)no preservatives or additives!
duffyduff
(3,251 posts)Lance Armstrong, for starters.
bravenak
(34,648 posts)Boys with women women with boys?
Behind the Aegis
(53,919 posts)I hope the games go smoothly for the sake of the GLBTA, but I do hope some of them raise a stink that would make a skunk holds it's nose!
cali
(114,904 posts)but it's time to put rights above sports. And boycotting could make a real difference in other countries.
Behind the Aegis
(53,919 posts)I don't believe there should ever be a political boycott, and this is political; civil/human rights, to be sure. However, the things that keep coming out of the mouths of the officials there make me very worried about the athletes, and especially the spectators, who wouldn't "enjoy" the same amount of press were something to happen. People keep citing the "Hitler" Olympics, but I am more afraid of a repeat of the Munich Games! And now that the IOC has come out in support of Russia, my fears have been wratched up even higher.
If they do boycott, I will proudly support them, 100%!
cali
(114,904 posts)but I've finally (today) come down on the boycott side.
William769
(55,142 posts)And heres why http://www.democraticunderground.com/113730487
cali
(114,904 posts)theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)That must be what passes for her kind of "normal".
DURHAM D
(32,603 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Solly Mack
(90,758 posts)Brickbat
(19,339 posts)week about how boycotts are "futile" and that because he hasn't seen any problems with gay people, there aren't any.
A: Well, its not a problem today. People can go around the world and speak up on issues. As for me, I havent seen any precedents of things happening (with gay people).
Q: Why do you think people in the West and the Western press have a different opinion?
A: Its politics, (different countries have) different interests and the authorities here understand that very well.
http://www.sptimes.ru/story/37814
Oh, and he's running for IOC chairman. The election is next month.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)There will be no change in venue, no changes in the laws. There will be no consequences for Russia. Any kind of a boycott is going to be written off as purely political.
Expect this to continue right up until the games in Feb next year. The PR ploy begins....
Johonny
(20,817 posts)It is nice to remember that Americans aren't the must horrible bigoted people on the planet Earth. I imagine the Sochi games are lining up to be one huge financial bust.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)Most people around here are still dancing and singing the songs of how great Russia is. It will funny when all the last minute outrage begins about this stuff we've known for 6 months or more.
Zorra
(27,670 posts)and creative thinkers for many decades in systematic purges.
You kill off all the smart people and creative thinkers, you end up with a subject population of conservative, obedient, and compliant "normal, standard people" bullies like Isinbayeva.
"Everything must be fine. It comes from history. We never had any problems, these problems in Russia, and we don't want to have any in the future."
"And now you tell us where are these gay moose and squirrel hiding or KGB maybe take you Siberia."
......................................
Boycott the Olympics.
OldEurope
(1,273 posts)Many young smart people left since the breakdown of the USSR. And the rest is in jail, like the Pussy Riot.
IDemo
(16,926 posts)Oh my god, I cant believe she said that. Its bad, he told the Associated Press. For Yelena to come out and say we are normal, standard Russian citizens Im paraphrasing here and we dont stand for that.
I want to say to Yelena, You understand a very large portion of your citizens here are gay and lesbian people. They are standard people, too. They were created this way. For you to tell them that theyre not normal and standard, thats what were taking an issue with.
To say anyone is not deserving of equality is just ludicrous to me. Thats why we have to continue to demonstrate and to speak out against the ignorance that shes showing.
LittleBlue
(10,362 posts)Change to them doesn't mean the same thing to us.
As Americans, we've had a good experience with change the last 100 or so years. Most things like equal rights, economic and technological changes have been good. We're used to it, and we're used to it working out for the better.
Change in Russia brings back memories of the disastrous transition from USSR to Russian Federation, and domination by the oligarchs while appalling poverty gripped the country. Before 1991, the last governmental upheaval was in 1917 to a weak government that ultimately was discarded by communists. They aren't used to change, and change isn't necessarily good in their collective memories.
Our country is coming around to gay rights. More slowly than many of us would like, but surely. Partly because change is normal and we are used to accepting new ideas, adapting society to fit those ideas, and moving on. Russians are an old people, it will take a long time for attitudes to change. I think they will ultimately, but it will be a long struggle.