Gay Vodka

From the MT:

"Irked With Russia, U.S. Gays Target Vodka and Sochi"

Russian vodka and the Winter Olympics in Sochi. For now, those are the prime targets as gays in the U.S. and elsewhere propose boycotts and other tactics to convey their outrage over Russia's intensifying campaign against gay-rights activism. At many gay bars across North America, owners have joined a campaign to stop selling Russian vodka — notably the popular brand Stolichnaya. Activists also are pressing the International Olympic Committee and NBC, which holds U.S. broadcasting rights for Sochi, to be more aggressive in criticizing new Russian laws. So far, there have been only scattered calls for a full-fledged boycott of the Sochi Games, but there is active discussion of how to convey gay-rights messages once the competition begins — including gestures by individual athletes and perhaps a gay-pride parade. The chief flashpoint is a law signed by President Vladimir Putin last month that bans the "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" and imposes hefty fines for providing information about the gay community to minors or holding gay pride rallies. Foreign citizens arrested under the law can be jailed for 15 days and then deported.

There also is concern about a long-running problem of violence against gays in Russia, as well as a new law restricting adoptions of Russian children by people in countries allowing same-sex marriage. The new laws were approved by parliament with overwhelming support, reflecting animosity toward gay activism that is widely shared across the political spectrum in Russia. Responding to the furor, the IOC said it has received assurances "from the highest level of government in Russia that the legislation will not affect those attending or taking part in the Games." It pledged to ensure there would be no discrimination against athletes, officials, spectators and the media in Sochi.  However, the Human Rights Campaign, a leading U.S. gay-rights group, said the IOC should take a stronger stand. "They should be advocating for the safety of all LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] people in Russia, not simply those visiting for the Olympics," HRC president Chad Griffin said. "Rescinding this heinous law must be our collective goal."

The New York Times, in an editorial Sunday, said the U.S. government "needs to be more forceful" in denouncing the new laws. "So does the International Olympic Committee, which too often fails to defend the Olympic ideals and should be leading a full-throated international campaign to insist that Russia repeal these laws," the editorial said. NBC also is coming under pressure, including an open letter from the Human Rights Campaign saying it would be wrong to televise Sochi's opening ceremonies without reporting on the anti-gay legislation. Nikolai Alexeyev, a prominent Russian gay-rights activist, suggested staging a gay pride parade in Sochi as the Olympics begin "to attract the maximum attention to the rights violations." Alexeyev was not among a group of more than 20 other Russian activists who issued an open letter endorsing efforts to boycott Russian goods and companies, as well the Sochi Games. Russian journalist Masha Gessen, who helped organize the letter, also suggested that activists around the world should confront Russian officials when they travel abroad. "Our goal is that any foreign trip made by Russian officials or representatives of big Russian companies becomes hell," she said. Another signer of the letter, photographer Mitya Aleshkovsky, welcomed the boycott of Stolichnaya. "If more Russian brands face rebuke and boycott in the West, it would help influence the Russian government," he said. "Of course, a boycott of Russian oil and gas would be the most efficient step, but, regrettably, none of Western oil and gas importers are willing to do that." The vodka boycott took shape last week, fueled by appeals from popular gay columnist Dan Savage and various other activists and organizations. Gay bars in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver and elsewhere joined the effort. In New York, the activist group Queer Nation is planning to organize a "vodka dump" Wednesday at the Russian consulate. Hoping to defuse the boycott, the CEO of the company that produces Stolichnaya, Val Mendeleev, issued a statement criticizing the Russian anti-gay laws as "dreadful actions." He depicted his company as a longtime supporter of the global gay community, as evidenced by Stolichnaya's role as a sponsor of various gay pride events. "We are upset and angry," Mendeleev wrote. "We fully support and endorse your objectives to fight against prejudice in Russia." Mendeleev said his company, SPI Group, has no ties to the Russian government. The vodka is made from Russian wheat, rye and raw alcohol at a distillery in Latvia. Some U.S. activists proposed that the boycott be extended to Russian caviar, and also suggested that American companies doing business in Russia be pressured to speak out against the laws.

^ It is good that people take a non-violent stand against things that they do not support, but I doubt anything will come of these boycotts. The US and other Western nations boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Soviets didn't leave for 10 years. The Soviets and other Eastern nations boycotted the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles in retaliation and nothing came of that either. To think the IOC will do anything is funny. They didn't stop the 1972 Munich Games after the Israeli team was murdered. They also didn't hold a ceremony at he 2012 London Games to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the massacre. The only thing the IOC cares about is making money and they do not care how they do it. The only real change of this homosexual discrimination has to come from within Russia and as history has shown that will most likely never happen. ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/irked-with-russia-us-gays-target-vodka-and-sochi/483850.html