Sochi – to boycott, or not to boycott?

This week UKIP Oxfordshire councilor David Silvester claimed that the devastating flooding across the UK was divine retribution for legalizing equal marriage. Now the camp 80’s classic by the Weathergirls, It’s Raining Men, is due to top the pop charts as a satirical and celebratory response, and the spoof twitter account @UkipWeather has over 110,000 followers (yes, it really is worth following- the tweets are very funny). Silvester’s comments prompted Nigel Farage to suspend him from the party. It’s interesting to note Silvester is an ex-Conservative; he defected to UKIP in protest at David Cameron’s support for same-sex unions. There aren’t many parties left that will have him.

The Winter Olympics has also been in the news; the Games are due to begin in Sochi next month, against the backdrop of the ‘gay propaganda’ laws in Russia. As insidious as Section 28, the law, brought in last June, bans the distribution of any material of non-traditional sexual relations to minors. But the intricacies are broad, allowing for a wide interpretation of the law. This is a human rights disaster, silencing activists and giving carte blanche to hate crimes perpetuated by neo-Nazi groups. The fines imposed for breaking the law start at a ‘mere’ 5,000 rubles and go up to 1 million rubles.  This includes anyone who uses the internet to post any material with a gay message.  It could be as simple as a personal photo on Facebook, or putting up information about a social group meeting.

Mind you, post-Soviet Russia has hardly been forward thinking on equality issues; gay pride marches are banned for 100 years in Moscow, and homosexuality was only removed from the country’s list of mental illnesses in 1999. But the fines seem like peanuts when the real threat facing gay people across Russia is violence and even death. There have been several documented murders of gay people as a result of the law; last June a man was stabbed, trampled to death, put in his car and then set alight.

The LGBT community here in the UK has been debating whether we should be participating in Sochi.  Stephen Fry has likened it to taking part in the 1936 Olympics. Even Pinner’s finest, Elton John, has slammed his piano shut and said enough is enough.  President Putin invoked John’s name as an example to show there is no discrimination in Russia. Why? Because Elton performs sell out concerts in Moscow. Putin made this proclamation and issued a press picture of himself, shirtless, on horseback. Has he never seen Brokeback Mountain?

But is a ban the best way forward? National Treasure Clare Balding will be commenting on the games live from Russia for the BBC.  Francois Hollande won’t be going, but to be fair he has other things on his mind. Barack Obama won’t be attending either, but he’s sending lesbian tennis legend Billie Jean King on his behalf.  David Cameron is not going, though he insists it is not a protest. This is in contrast to his attendance at the Commonwealth Summit in Sri Lanka, another country known for its appalling record on human rights.

So, should we ban Sochi? Regardless of what we might think is the right thing to do, Russian LGBT activists have requested that foreign nations don’t go ahead with a ban. Research done by Stonewall indicates local human rights groups have sought advice and support from LGBT campaigning organisations here in the UK. They are keen to keep communication open and learn how Section 28 was overturned. Almost 11 years after years after the law was changed, we have achieved near equality here in the UK- an incredible achievement. Now it is our job to turn our attention to our brothers and sisters across the globe and give them a liberating hand up.