Olympian Greg Louganis on Friday said that he does not support a
boycott of the Winter Olympics in Sochi over anti-gay laws recently
approved by the Russian government.
Gay activists are calling for a boycott of next year's Winter
Olympics over Russia's “gay propaganda” law, signed last month by
President Vladimir Putin. The law prohibits the public promotion of
gay rights in venues where minors might be present, effectively
shutting down Gay Pride marches and similar demonstrations.
Louganis, who won four Olympic gold medals in diving, said during
an appearance on CNN's The Situation Room that
he did not agree with that strategy.
“It's not the right thing to do,”
Louganis, who is openly gay, told host Wolf Blitzer. “You're
hurting the wrong people. So, I'm in support of not boycotting but
having a presence there.”
“The thing that I would say [to
Putin] is, I'm a human being, I'm a child of God,” Louganis
later added. “And we're all children of God. God made me this
way. It's not a choice. I was was born this way.”