The Winter Olympics: a spectacular display of speed, breakneck reactions and balance all wound up into a competition so tightly orchestrated that is can only be held every 4 years. But each and every time a competition of this magnitude IS held, there is one fact that, good or bad that affects the nature of the games.
There is nothing like the reaction and power that the inanimate being of sport can induce. It is a pastime but in truth, it is so much more than that. Sports drive us to spend hundreds of dollars to go watch a football game while we scream as loud as we possibly can. At times they can brainwash us and that can be fine, but at others we must break away from the glory of the goals, points and simple victories and peer behind the curtain. And there is no shortage of stuff to look at in Sochi 2014.
Approximately 2 months ago, the Russian Parliament in coalition with president: Vladamir Putin passed a series of laws deeming "pro-gay" actions un-lawful. When abiding by these laws, a Russian Citizen may be jailed for any sort of acknowledgement of homosexuality such as displaying a rainbow flag or even holding hands with a member of your same gender. According to Putin, the laws have been put in place to protect a child's innocence but what firmly wrecks that insistence is the fact that Russian police have been continuously known to harass, harm as well as turn a cold shoulder to hate crimes in the streets of their cities. Such atrocities undoubtedly do not serve well for a child's "innocence."
Since these laws were put into effect, several protests have already been staged but time may be running out. In just about 6 months’ time, the athletes will flock to Sochi Russia to compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics. But as we have learned time and time again no athlete is exempt from the law no matter how unjust it is. That means that for each and every openly gay Winter Olympian they might likely be subjected to the same hate, the same brutality and the same danger of every non closeted gay Russian today. These Olympians are in danger and they need to be protected.
But there are many different ways to protect these athletes but the one that has been thrown around most commonly may not be the right way to go.
In 1980, the United States boycotted the Moscow Olympics making a huge splash as well as history. It was the first time the US had not participated in a modern Olympic games. But there was a huge catch then and even more so now. Each and every time the Olympics roll around, nearly 500 Olympians make the trip from the US alone. A 2014 boycott as a result of the homophobia would mean no Olympics for each of those 500 Americans. I can tell you this they would not be happy if the US took their Olympics away.
So if boycotts are not the way to go, what is?
You do the opposite of boycotting. You go to the games and pay no attention to these laws that deprive Russia's gay population of some of their simplest rights. You go to the games and you don a rainbow pin. When a reporter asks a question about the laws you don't answer the question "Oh I'm just here to play [insert sport]". No, you take to the mic and say "These laws are unfair."
The Sochi Olympics have the possibility of being a platform, a platform where the American support of global homosexuality can be expressed or crushed into a corner. Boycotting the games would be doing just what the Russian's hope to do, silencing a person and a nation of athlete’s advocacy and rights. But going to the games and firmly rebelling would be doing what needs to be done. Showing that like the abolitionists in the time of slavery, like Meip Gies did when hiding Ann Frank we have a voice and that the human race will not tolerate oppression.
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