• 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
  • Film/TV/Stream
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Tech/Science
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox

Athlete Ally’s Hudson Taylor Explains Athletes’ Silence on Gay Rights in Sochi

Kyler Geoffroy March 8, 2014

IMG_1441

On a SXSW panel discussion about the intersection of LGBT issues and sports, Athlete Ally’s Hudson Taylor shared his thoughts on the surprising lack of Olympic athletes who publicly spoke out in Sochi about Russia’s anti-gay laws. 

S2_sxswTaylor said he was originally optimistic about using the international spotlight of the Olympic platform to advocate for LGBT equality and pointed to the numerous current and former athletes (and even Rihanna) who embraced his Principle 6 protest campaign before the Games began. Ultimately, however, Taylor said that the dozen or so Olympic athletes who both competed in Sochi and were also backers of his Principle 6 campaign failed to garner the medals that would have provided them with the necessary media coverage to truly make a lasting statement. 

'68 olympicsTaylor also pointed to the iconic 1968 Olympic photo of John Carlos and Tommie Smith raising their fists in protest of racial injustice and lamented the reality that a similar push for gay rights failed to materialize in Sochi. 

But despite the missed opportunity, Taylor said he was looking ahead to the 2018 World Cup in Russia) and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as future opportunities to use an international sporting event to shine a light on discriminatory laws. Qatar remains one of the countries where homosexuality is still illegal. 

In my skinIn the meantime, Taylor stressed the need for LGBT athletes and their straight allies to stand up and speak out against the culture of homophobia in sport. He pointed to fellow panelist Brittney Griner (who was there discussing her new book In My Skin) as a great example of an athlete who is changing the sporting world just by being out and proud. Ultimately, however, Taylor said there is much work to be done in order to make the sporting world a more comfortable place for LGBT athletes. 

“While the reality is we’ve seen a lot of progress in the sports world over the last few years, we still have a long way to go,” Taylor said. “There are still a lot of closeted athletes. There are still people being bullied, being isolated because of their sexual orientation. We still only have one [gay athlete] in the NBA and maybe one in the [upcoming] NFL.”

Topics: News More Posts About: Athlete Ally, Austin, Austin, Brittney Griner, Hudson Taylor, LZ Granderson, News, olympics, Russia, Russia, Sochi Olympics, SXSW

Related Posts
  • Mac Engel Column: WNBA player speaks honest truth about Brittney Griner: ‘If this was Shaq, he’d be home’
  • SHACKLED! Imprisoned WNBA Star Brittney Griner Looks Uneasy Ahead Of Trial As She Faces 10 Years In Russian Prison
  • Detained WNBA star Griner unable to speak to wife due to logistical issue -State Dept
  • U.S. Supreme Court asks Maryland to bar protests at justices’ homes

    U.S. Supreme Court asks Maryland to bar protests at justices’ homes

    Published by Reuters By Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court’s top security officer has asked Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to enforce laws barring picketing outside the Maryland homes of high court justices, saying …Read More »
  • New York moves to enshrine abortion rights in state constitution

    New York moves to enshrine abortion rights in state constitution

    Published by AFP The New York state senate — seen here in June 2011 — took action on Friday July 1, 2022 to add the right to an abortion to the state's consitution. New York (AFP) …Read More »
  • As ‘don’t say gay’ law takes effect in Florida, confusion reigns over classroom rules

    As ‘don’t say gay’ law takes effect in Florida, confusion reigns over classroom rules

    Published by Orlando Sentinel ORLANDO, Fla. — The new Florida law dubbed “don’t say gay” by its critics kicked in Friday, banning instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in primary grades — and creating fears …Read More »
  • What charges might Trump face for trying to overturn 2020 election?

    What charges might Trump face for trying to overturn 2020 election?

    Published by Reuters (Corrects paragraph 15 to attribute testimony about Trump throwing a plate to Cassidy Hutchinson, not Kayleigh McEnaney; corrects name of judge in paragraph two to David Carter, not Andrew Carter) By Luc Cohen …Read More »
Previous Post: « Madonna Recording with Avicii
Next Post: Rand Paul Wins CPAC Straw Poll with 31 Percent of Vote »

Primary Sidebar

News

  • Trump foe Liz Cheney has not ruled out 2024 US presidential run

    Trump foe Liz Cheney has not ruled out 2024 US presidential run

  • New York bans guns in many public places after Supreme Court ruling

    New York bans guns in many public places after Supreme Court ruling

  • Ohio police officers shot fleeing Black man dozens of times, lawyer says

    Ohio police officers shot fleeing Black man dozens of times, lawyer says

RSS Partner Links

  • Happy Fourth of July!
  • Weekend Tennis Roundup
  • Jay Hernandez Thanks Fans After 'Magnum P.I.' Gets Picked Up By NBC
  • A Second 'A League of Their Own' Movie Almost Happened & Here's What It Would've Been About
  • Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck Support Local Artisans During The Holiday Weekend
  • 'Married At First Sight' Couples Still Together Today - Only 14 Out of 54 Couples Are Still Going Strong!
  • OMG, Priscilla Presley breaks down 15 looks from 1960 to now with ‘Vogue’

Most Recent

  • Silvio Berlusconi’s ex-partner Francesca Pascale marries singer girlfriend Paola Turci amid global Pride celebrations

    Silvio Berlusconi’s ex-partner Francesca Pascale marries singer girlfriend Paola Turci amid global Pride celebrations

  • U.S. Supreme Court asks Maryland to bar protests at justices’ homes

    U.S. Supreme Court asks Maryland to bar protests at justices’ homes

  • New York moves to enshrine abortion rights in state constitution

    New York moves to enshrine abortion rights in state constitution

  • As ‘don’t say gay’ law takes effect in Florida, confusion reigns over classroom rules

    As ‘don’t say gay’ law takes effect in Florida, confusion reigns over classroom rules

  • What charges might Trump face for trying to overturn 2020 election?

    What charges might Trump face for trying to overturn 2020 election?

  • Kenny Goss: I didn’t want to be Mrs George Michael

    Kenny Goss: I didn’t want to be Mrs George Michael

  • Adele feels ‘mortified’ over Las Vegas residency

    Adele feels ‘mortified’ over Las Vegas residency

  • Biden predicts states will try to arrest women who travel for abortions

    Biden predicts states will try to arrest women who travel for abortions

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy
[towleroadmr] [towleroadtn]

Footer

Copyright © 2022 · Log in