Gay protester detained in Russia (had rainbow flag near Olympic relay)

[geek tragedy]

Source: ESPN/AP

MOSCOW -- A gay Russian protester was detained on Saturday for unfurling a rainbow flag during the Olympic torch relay as it passed through his hometown of Voronezh, 560 miles north of Sochi, where the Games will begin Feb. 7.

Photos uploaded by his friends show Pavel Lebedev pulling out the flag and then being detained by Olympic security personnel, who wrestle him to the snow as they wait for police to arrive. Lebedev, reached by The Associated Press on the phone, said he was still in the police station and undergoing questioning.

"Hosting the Games here contradicts the basic principles of the Olympics, which is to cultivate tolerance," Lebedev said, citing growing homophobia in Russia as the main reason for his protest.

A ban on propaganda of "nontraditional sexual relations" that was signed by President Vladimir Putin into law in June has provoked widespread international outrage from critics who believe the legislation discriminates against gays.

Read more: http://espn.go.com/olympics/winter/2014/story/_/id/10314120/gay-protester-detained-russia-sochi-olympics-torch-relay

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Thank goodness Olympic security was there to protect children from a flag that symbolizes inclusion and tolerance.

[geek tragedy]

1. ESPN comments are a sewer of homophobia, sadly. nt

[shenmue]

2. It's a shame

Lots of public comment boards are like that. Shame there is so much ignorance out there.

[alp227]

7. people were willing to put their names and faces next to their bullshit.

Not even Facebook comments can save civility. You can thank Fox News, talk radio, The Blaze, and other media outlets for making ignorance a virtue.

[William769]

3. And to think the best is yet to come!

[Comrade Grumpy]

4. There is some really ugly shit going on in Russia.

I saw a CNN report yesterday about Occupy Pedophilia, a group of nasty nationalist thugs who set up fake meetings with gay guys, then abuse and humiliate them, then post their handiwork on the web. No police response at all. This looks like a situation where it's only going to end when some of these homophobic thugs end up frozen in ditches.

[geek tragedy]

5. It's not homophobes who wind up dead in Russia nt

[Comrade Grumpy]

6. Yeah. And if the Russian state won't protect gay people, they will have to do it themselves.

[JI7]

10. gays are not going to be protected by killing someone , even if they do it in self defense

it will be turned against them by putin and every other anti gay thug .

[davidpdx]

8. This guy will be "disappeared" more than likely

The crackdown begins....

[johnnypneumatic]

9. or, stated another way...

Last edited Sat Jan 18, 2014, 09:51 PM - Edit history (1)

A man holding a rainbow flag was attacked by an IOC employee, wrestled to the ground, and turned over to the Russian thought police. The blatant gay-bashing by an official Olympic staff member, wearing the Olympic logo, and Coca-Cola logo, show the complicity and tacit approval of the IOC and Coca-Cola with Russia's persecution of LGBT people.
However, the IOC assures us Putin's 2014 HomophobOlympics will be a great success (as long as those uppity gays are kept out of sight, and detained and gay-bashed off camera).