• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • Sophia Bush’s girlfriend ‘proud’ the actress has opened up about coming out as queer
  • Mel B declares she’ll ‘always be open’ when it comes to her sexuality!
  • Megan Thee Stallion being sued for ‘forcing cameraman watch her having lesbian sex!’

Gay-Friendly Olympics To Be Held In Moscow Three Days After Sochi Games

Sean Mandell October 31, 2013

RussWith speculation continuing to mount over how Russia's anti-gay laws will impact the Olympic games at Sochi, now less than 100 days away, and how authorities will respond to any signs of protest or advocacy in support of LGBT rights, the Russian LGBT Sports Federation has announced it will be hosting a gay-friendly “Open Games” in Moscow just three days after the Sochi Olympics end, according to The New York Times. The games “will be for athletes of any orientation and will consist of eight events, including basketball, badminton, swimming and indoor soccer.”

Viktor Romanov, chairman of the board for the Russian LGBT Sports Federation, says he is unsure how the government will interpret their event, either as being benign or potentially as propagandizing a non-traditional sexual orientation:

“I'm not afraid…I'm apprehensive. We don't know how the government will take this.”

Sport, Mr. Romanov believes, will be the perfect cover for gay men and lesbians to gather […]

“By developing L.G.B.T. sport, we can improve the standing of the L.G.B.T. community in our country,” Mr. Romanov said.

“Our society has a very one-sided image of gays. People don't understand that anyone could be gay. Your boss could be gay; any good, normal person could be gay.”

By and large the federation has flown under the radar of the Russian government, neither receiving its approval nor its wrath. Though the origanization is officially registered with the Ministry of Sport it is not recognized. The federation was also denied funding for the Open Games by the Kremlin, which reportedly invested $50 billion into Sochi.

KonsKonstantin Yablotskiy (pictured right), a figure skater and president of the organization added:

“Sport is a universal instrument to solve many different problems…For some, like me, it makes it possible to forget about everything. When I skate, I only think about music and movement, and that's wonderful, especially now" […]

“No one knows where the lines are now…In 2012, after these laws were passed in St. Petersburg, we held a sports festival there. We all painted rainbows on our cheeks, walked around the city and rode the metro. Children saw us, but no one said anything. Was that ‘propaganda?' ”

Still, there's no doubt that the passage of the anti-gay propaganda law in June has had far-reaching ramifications, even touching the federation as The Times points out:

After the passage of the homosexual propaganda law, the group's leadership temporarily moved into clandestine mode, making its events more secretive. They now send details about the timing and location of meetings only to confirmed members. But they plan to use the Olympics to reassert themselves publicly, the leaders say.

“It's somewhat good that there's a place where people can be themselves,” Igor Kochetkov, the chairman of the Russian L.G.B.T. Network, a human rights group, said. “But it's a ghetto.”

Topics: LGBT Rights, Music, News, Society More Posts About: Gay Rights, gay rights, LGBT Rights, moscow, Moscow, News, Olympics, olympics, Russia, Russia, Sochi Olympics, Sochi Olympics

Related Posts
  • Draconian: Sochi Olympics-Era “Gay Propaganda” Ban Expands to Forbid All Public LGBTQ Expression. New Russian Crackdown. Pt. 2
  • Kafkaesque: 5-Days Jail for Rainbow Earrings? Fined for Posting Gay Flag? Russia LGBTQ Crackdown. WTF? Part 1
  • Zelensky: Russia destroyed 30% of Ukraine’s power stations in a week
  • Mel B declares she’ll ‘always be open’ when it comes to her sexuality!

    Mel B declares she’ll ‘always be open’ when it comes to her sexuality!

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Mel B will “always be open” when it comes to her sexuality. The Spice Girls singer, 48, who reunited with her bandmates including the group's ex-singer Victoria Beckham for the fashion …Read More »
  • Megan Thee Stallion being sued for ‘forcing cameraman watch her having lesbian sex!’

    Megan Thee Stallion being sued for ‘forcing cameraman watch her having lesbian sex!’

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Megan Thee Stallion is being sued for allegedly creating a hostile work environment and forcing her cameraman to watch her having lesbian sex. The 29-year-old ‘Savage' rapper faces the salacious claims …Read More »
  • Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett recalls the moment his life ‘changed forever’

    Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett recalls the moment his life ‘changed forever’

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Jonathan Bennett's life was “changed forever” by his role in ‘Mean Girls'. The 42-year-old actor starred as heartthrob Aaron Samuels in the 2004 cult classic – which followed Lindsay Lohan, Rachel …Read More »
  • Sir Elton John sent Lance Bass gift basket to celebrate coming out

    Sir Elton John sent Lance Bass gift basket to celebrate coming out

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Sir Elton John sent Lance Bass a gift basket after he came out as gay. The 44-year-old NSYNC star revealed the legendary singer showed his support when Lance decided to reveal …Read More »
Previous Post: « GOP Candidate For New Jersey’s General Assembly Confronted with Homophobic Past
Next Post: Former Defense Sec’y Robert Gates, Who Oversaw DADT Repeal, To Lead Boy Scouts of America »

Primary Sidebar

Most Recent

  • Sophia Bush’s girlfriend ‘proud’ the actress has opened up about coming out as queer

    Sophia Bush’s girlfriend ‘proud’ the actress has opened up about coming out as queer

  • Mel B declares she’ll ‘always be open’ when it comes to her sexuality!

    Mel B declares she’ll ‘always be open’ when it comes to her sexuality!

  • Megan Thee Stallion being sued for ‘forcing cameraman watch her having lesbian sex!’

    Megan Thee Stallion being sued for ‘forcing cameraman watch her having lesbian sex!’

  • Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett recalls the moment his life ‘changed forever’

    Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett recalls the moment his life ‘changed forever’

  • Sir Elton John sent Lance Bass gift basket to celebrate coming out

    Sir Elton John sent Lance Bass gift basket to celebrate coming out

  • Relationship status influences heterosexual women’s sexual prejudice towards lesbians

    Relationship status influences heterosexual women’s sexual prejudice towards lesbians

  • JoJo Siwa had a challenge transitioning to new grown-up image

    JoJo Siwa had a challenge transitioning to new grown-up image

  • Liz Hurley defends lesbian sex scene in new movie that was directed by her son

    Liz Hurley defends lesbian sex scene in new movie that was directed by her son

Partner Links

  • OMG, WATCH: Google’s Veo 3 turns the “Distracted Boyfriend” meme to life in new AI video
    Google‘s Veo 3 has summoned the fires of Hell, wasted oceans-full […]
  • Two-time Tony winner Donna Murphy publicly support LuPone-bashed Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis
    I’m a tremendous Patti LuPone fan as readers of this blog […]
  • On the Rag, Vol. 859
     This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Vlad Parker, Ashley Parker, David […]
  • OMG, WATCH: Charli xcx wants a Final Destination series with ‘It Girls’
    @charlixcx just a thought.. ♬ original sound – Charli XCX Charli […]
  • OMG, new music: Lorde releases video for ‘Man Of The Year’
    The second single from the forthcoming album is “an offering from […]

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

About

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy
[towleroadmr] [towleroadtn]

Footer

Ptown Hacks 2018

Read

  • Travel
  • Film
  • Law – LGBT Rights
  • Columns
  • Specials

About

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 · Log in

×
×