• 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
  • Joe Exotic leaves everything to fiance Seth Posey in new will
  • Kim Petras defends Sam Smith amid backlash: ‘We are going backwards!’
  • Qualified? Melania Trump Gave Advice In Situation Room During Killing Of ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdad, Defense Department Whistle-Blower Claims

Gay Rights Activists Circle Coca-Cola with Trucks, Pressuring It Over the Sochi Olympics

Andy Towle October 29, 2013

Coke_allout

Yesterday, the activist group All Out hired three trucks to circle Coca-Cola’s global headquarters in Atlanta starting at 8 am ET and throughout the entire day, with billboards urging the company to call for a repeal of Russia’s anti-gay laws before the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Allout2According to the group, more than 140,000 All Out members sent messages to the company’s CEO urging Coca-Cola to take the following steps:

– Speak out against the Russian anti-gay "propaganda" law and call for its repeal before the Olympics.

– Donate funds to Russian human rights defenders.

– Ask the Olympic Committee to change the rules so future Olympics can only happen in countries that fully respect equality.

Said Andre Banks Executive Director and Co-Founder of All Out:

“Coke is an incredibly important position of power and has the ability to influence the International Olympic Committee, other sponsors, and Russian leaders. The safety and dignity of Russians, athletes, and fans is in doubt as long as Russia’s anti-gay laws are intact. Olympic sponsors have a moral obligation to speak out now. As one of the largest Olympic sponsors Coca-Cola should take a strong stand against Russia’s anti-gay laws ahead of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. We urge them to speak out against the anti-gay propaganda law and call for a repeal before the Olympics, donate funds to Russian human rights defenders, and ask the Olympic committee to change the rule so future Olympics can only happen in countries that fully respect equality."

Coca-Cola is expected to make an announcement about its response to these laws, Russian journalist Masha Gessen tells Richard Socarides in The New Yorker what her suggestion might be:

First, she wants the Olympic sponsors to use their marketing clout to demonstrate support for gay equity. “It will be a lot more effective to put a rainbow on every Olympic Coke can than for an American athlete to say something that won’t get broadcast or translated on Russian TV,” she said. Gessen wants all the sponsors to use L.G.B.T. symbols in their advertising connected to the Olympics.

Russian gays are concerned not only about the propaganda law, but also about the newly proposed legislation that would strip gay parents of their parental rights, removing their children from their homes. Even though that measure seems to have been temporarilyshelved, Gessen told me that gays are now more scared than ever and are looking for ways to leave the country. Along with embedding gay-friendly messages in their ads, Gessen also wants the Olympic sponsors to provide financial support to gay-rights groups in Russia who aid refugee-resettlement efforts.

Topics: Uncategorized More Posts About: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola, olympics, Olympics, Russia, Russia, Sochi Olympics, Sochi Olympics

Related Posts
  • Zelensky: Russia destroyed 30% of Ukraine’s power stations in a week
  • Exclusive-Ukraine will never forgive Russia – Russian Nobel laureate
  • Another Uk Olympian Comes Out; Dame Kelly Holmes, Competed in Track Events At Athens Games
  • Kim Petras defends Sam Smith amid backlash: ‘We are going backwards!’

    Kim Petras defends Sam Smith amid backlash: ‘We are going backwards!’

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Kim Petras thinks the world is “going backwards” with its attitudes toward sexual expression. The 30-year-old singer teamed up with her fellow pop star for ‘Unholy’ and following the backlash over …Read More »
  • Qualified? Melania Trump Gave Advice In Situation Room During Killing Of ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdad, Defense Department Whistle-Blower Claims

    Qualified? Melania Trump Gave Advice In Situation Room During Killing Of ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdad, Defense Department Whistle-Blower Claims

    Published by Radar Online mega Former First Lady Melania Trump was reportedly present for one of the Situation Room’s most important chairs during the killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi — going so far as …Read More »
  • 2023 Grammys Red Carpet: See Photos Of Lizzo, Doja Cat, Shania Twain & More!

    2023 Grammys Red Carpet: See Photos Of Lizzo, Doja Cat, Shania Twain & More!

    Published by OK Magazine cbs The biggest night in music has arrived! The 65th Annual Grammy Awards kicked off with a fabulous red carpet, with celebs going all out for the Sunday, February 5, show, which …Read More »
  • Fans Go Off On Shania Twain’s Confusing Grammys Outfit: ‘Supervillain Convention’

    Fans Go Off On Shania Twain’s Confusing Grammys Outfit: ‘Supervillain Convention’

    Published by OK Magazine Francis Specker/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. Shania Twain made a statement at the 2023 Grammy Awards. On Sunday, February 5, the country star, 57, sported a white and black outfit — with …Read More »
Previous Post: « A New, Haunting Direction for Erasure with ‘Gaudete’: VIDEO
Next Post: Former NFL Player Dexter Manley Banned from WTOP After Calling Troy Aikman ‘a Queer’: AUDIO »

Primary Sidebar

Adjacent News

  • Ron DeSantis retaliates against Florida venue that hosted drag show in December

    Ron DeSantis retaliates against Florida venue that hosted drag show in December

  • Beyoncé Could Make Music History at the 2023 Grammy Awards

    Beyoncé Could Make Music History at the 2023 Grammy Awards

  • Behold: The new GOP culture wars | Opinion

    Behold: The new GOP culture wars | Opinion

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • Dennis Rodman On If He’d Ever Get Back With Ex-Girlfriends: “I Tried Madonna, I Tried Carmen Electra…”

    Dennis Rodman On If He’d Ever Get Back With Ex-Girlfriends: “I Tried Madonna, I Tried Carmen Electra…”

  • James Gunn Seemingly Confirms The DCU Will Finally Have Gay Superheroes

    James Gunn Seemingly Confirms The DCU Will Finally Have Gay Superheroes

  • Vanilla Ice Admits He Rejected Madonna’s Proposal Before They Split: ‘I Thought The Guy Was Supposed To Do That’

    Vanilla Ice Admits He Rejected Madonna’s Proposal Before They Split: ‘I Thought The Guy Was Supposed To Do That’

RSS Partner Links

  • Mary J. Blige Delivers Incredible Performance of 'Good Morning Gorgeous' at Grammys 2023
  • Madonna Introduces Grammy Winners Kim Petras & Sam Smith
  • 65th Annual Grammy Awards 2023: Open Thread
  • Viola Davis has earned EGOT starts with Grammy Award for memoir audiobook narration
  • Bowen Yang Nails His Latest Inanimate Object (Wait ...)
  • Trump: All Negative Polls Are Wrong, 'Our Poll Numbers Are Excellent'
  • Open Post: Hosted By An Ohio Animal Shelter That Will Name A Litter Box After Your Ex For Valentine’s Day

Most Recent

  • Joe Exotic leaves everything to fiance Seth Posey in new will

    Joe Exotic leaves everything to fiance Seth Posey in new will

  • Kim Petras defends Sam Smith amid backlash: ‘We are going backwards!’

    Kim Petras defends Sam Smith amid backlash: ‘We are going backwards!’

  • Qualified? Melania Trump Gave Advice In Situation Room During Killing Of ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdad, Defense Department Whistle-Blower Claims

    Qualified? Melania Trump Gave Advice In Situation Room During Killing Of ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdad, Defense Department Whistle-Blower Claims

  • 2023 Grammys Red Carpet: See Photos Of Lizzo, Doja Cat, Shania Twain & More!

    2023 Grammys Red Carpet: See Photos Of Lizzo, Doja Cat, Shania Twain & More!

  • Fans Go Off On Shania Twain’s Confusing Grammys Outfit: ‘Supervillain Convention’

    Fans Go Off On Shania Twain’s Confusing Grammys Outfit: ‘Supervillain Convention’

  • Viola Davis achieves EGOT status at Grammy Awards

    Viola Davis achieves EGOT status at Grammy Awards

  • Pope Francis says laws criminalising LGBT people are a ‘sin’ and an injustice

    Pope Francis says laws criminalising LGBT people are a ‘sin’ and an injustice

  • Megyn Kelly RIPS Don Lemon Over Kaitlin Collins Fight, Says She Would’ve Had Him FIRED If He ‘Screamed’ At Her

    Megyn Kelly RIPS Don Lemon Over Kaitlin Collins Fight, Says She Would’ve Had Him FIRED If He ‘Screamed’ At Her

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×