Gay rights activists in the United States are calling for boycotts
against Russian interests in the wake of passage of anti-gay laws.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent weeks has signed laws
that prohibit gay and lesbian couples from adopting Russian-born
children and the public promotion of gay rights. The nation's “gay
propaganda” law also applies to tourists, who could be detained for
up to 2 weeks, a possible threat to openly gay athletes
participating in the Winter Olympics to be held in Sochi.
In a The
New York Times op-ed, actor-playwright Harvey Fierstein wrote
that the “Olympic Committee must demand the retraction of these
laws under threat of boycott.”
“In 1936 the world attended the Olympics in Germany,”
Fierstein wrote. “Few participants said a word about Hitler's
campaign against the Jews. Supporters of that decision point proudly
to the triumph of Jesse Owens, while I point with dread to the
Holocaust and world war. There is a price for tolerating
intolerance.”
The gay rights group Queer Nation called for a boycott of Russian
vodka.
“In light of the Putin regime's attacks on the LGBT community,
Queer Nation is calling for a worldwide boycott of Russian vodka,”
the group wrote. “Do not buy or drink Russian vodka: Brands
include Russian Standard and Stolichnaya. Demand that bar owners do
not buy or serve Russian vodka. Ask your favorite club promoters,
DJs and entertainers to insist that Russian brands are not served in
the venues in which they perform.”
Author-activist Dan Savage, a co-founder of the It Gets Better
Project, on Wednesday backed the vodka boycott, writing in Seattle
alternative The
Stranger: “Tweet your support using the hashtags #DUMPSTOLI
and #DUMPRUSSIANVODKA. And tell your friends about what is happening
in Russia and ask them to DUMP STOLI and DUMP RUSSIAN VODKA.”
Later
that day, Sidetrack, Chicago's largest gay bar, announced that it
would remove Russian vodkas from their shelves.
In an open letter given to The
Advocate, Val Mendeleev, the CEO of SPI Group, which owns
Stoli vodka, called the government's actions “dreadful” and Stoli
a “fervent supporter and friend to the LGBT community.”
“We fully support and endorse your objections to fight against
prejudice in Russia,” Mendeleev wrote. “In the past decade, SPI
has been actively advocating in favor of freedom, tolerance and
openness in society, standing very passionately on the side of the
LGBT community and will continue to support any effective initiative
in that direction.”
On
Thursday, Olympian Johnny Weir responded to calls to boycott the
winter Olympics, saying that “I respect the LGBT community full
heartedly, but I implore the world not to boycott the Olympic Games
because of Russia's stance on LGBT rights or lack thereof.” Weir
said that such a boycott would hurt the athletes expecting to compete
in the games.