Yelena Isinbayeva - Ambassador for the Russian Olympics

I think Russia's laws on homosexuality are disgusting BUT I tend to argree with her on this. You wouldn't go to a deeply islamic country and expect anything different. We would expect people to visit the UK and abide by our laws whether they agreed with them or not.

Of course she can't get up in arms about people attempting to highlight the disgusting stance they've taken on homsexuality. We are of one world. They have to accept that by competing in things like 'World Games' you leave yourselves open to the customs and cultures of those other countries.

We are no longer little pockets of politics untouched by the outside world. We live closely alongside one another now due to modern technology and in particular, social networking.

Well if that is their attitude than perhaps the Olympics shouldn't be held in Russia?

Agree with LP. A law is a law.

Is she being homophobic though? She's just talking about the country in general, and the rules of the country - she isn't saying she agrees with the law, just that people should obide by it.

Which, that part, I agree with.

I think the charge of homophobia relates to her rather casual suggestion that 'normal, standard' people are heterosexual.

If Russia want the 'glory' of hosting the Olympics then they have to accept that the country will be scrutinised - if that concerns them then don't host the Olympics... Yelena Isinbayeva can't have it both ways!

I'm not sure it's worth her insisting people don't wear rainbow nail varnish, or that it would stick as a crime. I agree that if people are promoting homosexuality, and that's the law they've passed, they have every right to take action. But they might want to be a little more circumspect than that.

And yes, I think her attitude is homophobic; it's clear that girls with girls and boys with boys is not normal. Therefore homosexuals are abnormal.

I wish it could be moved. We'll have it here?!

You can't really prevent nations from hosting a games just because you don't like their stance on a subject. Or China would never have got the Olympics. I'm not sure if there wasn't something lost in translation. I'm now dealing about 60% of the time at work woth people from all over the world whose first languages aren't English and what she said didn't actually make sense, or at the very least is open to interpretation. For that reason, until there's a full translation from Russian, I'm not getting excited about it.

You could go as far as saying that gay spectators don't have to go to the Olympics in Russia if they don't feel comfortable with their laws. But what about gay participants? They shouldn't have to either give up their dream and not go, or feel discrimanated against if they do. That's my issue.

Different POV:

In October 1996 the Taliban introduced laws in Afghanistan that women could no longer be educated and could not leave the house without a man accompanying them. If the Olympics were being held there that year, would you say, well it is their country we should abide by the laws and not allow women to compete without a male chaperone? If anyone competing showed any support for women being educated they could be arrested?

I don't believe that we should have to be accepting of the laws of other countries if they are being used to actively discriminate against or cause undue harm to a group of people. I will always respect other people's religions/customs by covering up in certain locations etc, this is completely different.

She says all Russians are 'normal' (ie not gay) which is untrue. There will be roughly the same proportion of gay people in Russia as there are elsewhere in the world. They are just treated differently as a result.

Another issue I have is that this is a recent law and the country seem to be taking a massive step backwards. Sorry if this fits under 'Godwin's Law' but I think interesting parallels can be drawn between this and the Berlin Games of 1936 that Hitler used as a soapbox. Discrimination against Jews hadn't hit its peak then but they were being treated appallingly. We all know what happened next. Stephen Fry's open letter on the subject was very interesting.

That's what I wanted to say but after yesterday I wasn't risking it?

I'd like to think that a bit of common sense would come into it and that the Olympics would have been abandoned. Rather abandon an event, than break the laws of a country just because it doesn't suit everyone, IYKWIM.

That makes it sound like it is about people disagrreing over shades of white for a wedding rather than discriminatory laws?

But yes this is what I think should happen, the Olympics should be abandoned or moved.

Sorry, bad choice of words. Obviously it's more serious than a simple disagreement.

I suppose I just think it's a big arrogant to have the mindset of "well, I don't agree with your law therefore I'm going to stick my middle finger up to it and do what I want."

Am struggling to articulate what I mean, but I hope you understand my ramblings.

But it isn't a law saying people can't ride bikes on a Tuesday and meaning that cyclists have to re-organise their lives. It is suggesting that approx 1 in 10 people aren't 'normal' and should lie about their lives. I don't think any LGBT person is doing it just to annoy another country. They haven't chosen a way of life, they just are and they shouldn't be discriminated against because 9 out of ten people are different to them.

I know that being homosexual isn't a choice, but painting their nails in rainbow colours was.

I don't think I'm making much sense. ?

The Russian Government. No question.

*is bursting with the desire to make another Nazi Germany comparison*

Do it.

Thank you!

Timeline of anti-Jewish laws passed in Nazi Germany: https://www.bl.uk/voices-of-the-holocaust/themes/life-in-germany-and-europe-under-nazi-rule

I don't believe we should ever just say "well that's their law, we should respect it". Not when it's blatantly discriminatory.

Scary stuff.

I'm unsurprisingly on the competitors side on this one. It takes people making a stand and protesting (even if that is just through rainbow coloured nail varnish) to make leaders take note and make a change.

I think it is pretty shocking that Russia can even be considered for the Olympics with such Laws if I am honest.

Why should gay competitors be made to feel like second class citizens or risk arrest if the travel to the games with their partners?.....

Watching the men's gymnastics should be interesting.....

What I'm struggling to understand a bit is that this is news. One oif the (Russian) gilrs at wirk is saying that it's been like this for years, but the 'West' has turned a blind eye.

Also, she had another valid point, I think. The gymnast was hardly going to go on telly in Russia saying that the law was a load of crap, was she? She'd have been arrested.

My favourite (possibly slightly paraphrased) quote...

"All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing".