A pair of Russian runners kissed each other on the medal stand at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) track championships in Moscow this week – defying their country’s hard line stance against “homosexual propaganda.”
Kseniya Ryzhova and Tatyana Firov puckered up in protest of an anti-gay law passed two months ago by Russia’s government. The law bans the “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” to individuals under the age of eighteen – and includes heavy fines for violators.
Ryzhova and Firov weren’t the only ones protesting the law. A Swedish high jumper painted her fingernails and toenails in rainbow-colored polish, while an American runner dedicated his medal to his homosexual friends in the United States.
Russia’s anti-gay measure is creating a major public relations headache for the country in advance of the 2014 Winter Olympic games – scheduled to be held next February in Sochi, a resort town located on the Black Sea. It’s also creating headaches for NBC, the network which will televise the games.
“We will address it if it becomes an issue,” an NBC executive said. “Right now, they have a law that is a law of their land. Governments across the world have different laws. As long as it doesn’t affect us or athletes, again, we acknowledge that exists but I don’t know what that’s going to mean for us or how we’re going to cover it.”
Hmmmm …
While this website objects to discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation, Russia’s law is indeed the “law of their land.” Of course if there is one law which trumps all others, it is the law of the marketplace.
Russia has invested more than $12 billion (most of it government money) to get Sochi ready for the worldwide stage – a flood of negative international publicity could severely curtail the return on that investment.
Gay activists aren’t boycotting the Sochi Olympics in protest of Russia’s laws, though. They believe they can accomplish more for their cause by displaying their pride on the medal stand in front of an international audience.
Which is a pretty smart strategy …
15 comments
How can one sign up to help these two women out in their protest?
I’m not signing up unless their tongues are involved – noticeably “tight-lipped” in that photo.
Scandalizin’ the damned Rooskies with a simple smooch! Wow! Has Putin seen some o’ that girl-on-girl Russian porn? He’d likely love it, but condemn it in public. What a turd.
Putin is prolly involved in the manufacture and distribution of said porn….
“prolly” ? — got a little tongue-tied just thinking about it, did ya’?
TBG was “just speaking the language of the Bush/ Obama dumbed-down masses, yo.”
…or attempting to type with only one hand.
—- don’t want to know what you were doing with the other… and here is a link to an interesting article…..
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2397058/Internet-porn-map-world-reveals-US-Holland-Britain-largest-providers-world.html
Drinking a cold beer, of course.
What were you thinking?
Wait….WHAT???!!!!
*chuckles*
Is drinking a cold beer another new euphemism for masturbation?
I was always partial to slapping the salami and choking the chicken.
I have trouble keep up with the new lingo at times.
Joe and Moe went outside to take a leak and Joe confessed, “I wish I had one like my cousin Junior. He needs four fingers to hold his.”
Moe looked over and pointed out, “But you’re holding yours with four fingers.”
“I know,” said Joe with a sigh, “but I’m peeing on three of them.”
Those shirtless pix of Putin in the woods are a lot gayer than this.
t.A.T.u.
https://www.google.com/search?q=TATU&client=safari&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=eKsTUsDfM6bf2QXHxoGoAQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAA&biw=320&bih=356
That’s like a kiss you give your grandmother. If they wanted to really kiss, I expect tongue.
ESPN isn’t exactly a “reliable” source, but for whatever it’s worth, here’s a report quoting the Russian women in the photo as saying that they weren’t trying to protest anything or otherwise make a political statement when they kissed:
http://espn.go.com/olympics/trackandfield/story/_/id/9584147/russian-runners-say-kisses-not-protest-anti-gay-law
“Of course if there is one law which trumps all others, it is the law of the marketplace.”
That’s not true.The one law that trumps all others,is the Law of Love.I thought you knew that,baby boy.Stop,in the name of love…