# To Russia with love. President sends openly gay athletes to Sochi. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 18, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645 "2013-12-18T14:40:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/1 "2013-12-18T14:40:38Z")
[http://www.newsnet5.com/news/national/to-russia-with-love-president-obama-sends-message-picks-openly-gay-athletes-for-sochi-winter-games](http://www.newsnet5.com/news/national/to-russia-with-love-president-obama-sends-message-picks-openly-gay-athletes-for-sochi-winter-games) I’m okay with this. You think Putin will get the message? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/2 "2013-12-18T16:28:47Z")
They could either not be allowed in or they could be arrested for being gay. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/3 "2013-12-18T17:45:11Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > They could either not be allowed in or they could be arrested for being gay. Russia doesn’t want to spoil the fun. Nothing will happen. I think it’s a good play by the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/4 "2013-12-18T17:56:08Z")
German President Joachim Gauck and French President François Hollande have both already announced that they won’t be attending either, as has European Commission Deputy Head Viviane Reding. Not sure what David Cameron’s current position is but with France, Germany and the US not sending their leaders he may jump on the bandwagon too. OTOH if the Danish PM is going he’ll be there like a shot. _Hubba hubba_. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/5 "2013-12-18T18:12:15Z")
I encourage all athletes, homo-, bi-, hetero-, and other-sexual, to camp it the fuck up in Sochi, to engage in as much homosexual PDA as possible, and to remember to bring their leaflets and WWII-style Gay Propaganda Posters. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/6 "2013-12-18T18:24:46Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > OTOH if the Danish PM is going he’ll be there like a shot. _Hubba hubba_. Presumably his frau will be there too, then. [To make this happen](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=773202182694441&set=a.254913211190010.81431.228061520541846&type=1&theater). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/7 "2013-12-18T18:34:25Z")
Best. Troll. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/8 "2013-12-18T20:25:44Z")
“_“It’s a positive sign to see openly gay representatives in the delegation,” said spokesman Michael Cole-Schwartz. “Hopefully it sends a message to the Russian people and the rest of the world that the United States values the civil and human rights of LGBT people.”_” Hopefully that message gets across to their fellow Americans, too! It’d be pretty sweet if the Religious Right starts grumbling about this so everyone can be all “Really? You’re siding with Russia?” ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/9 "2013-12-19T12:07:19Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > [http://www.newsnet5.com/news/national/to-russia-with-love-president-obama-sends-message-picks-openly-gay-athletes-for-sochi-winter-games](http://www.newsnet5.com/news/national/to-russia-with-love-president-obama-sends-message-picks-openly-gay-athletes-for-sochi-winter-games) > > I’m okay with this. You think Putin will get the message? I think it’s a great move. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/10 "2013-12-19T13:59:16Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > German President Joachim Gauck and French President François Hollande have both already announced that they won’t be attending either, as has European Commission Deputy Head Viviane Reding. Not sure what David Cameron’s current position is but with France, Germany and the US not sending their leaders he may jump on the bandwagon too. > > OTOH if the Danish PM is going he’ll be there like a shot. _Hubba hubba_. Sounds like Russia is getting seriously dissed. Its this sort of diplomatic high schoolness that I find entertaining. That “oh, no, the U.S. is sending a FORMER CABINET SECRETARY and we don’t get the German or French Presidents coming to our party” is meaningful on the world stage. And yet, like high school when none of the cheerleaders show up and the football team is represented by the student equipment manager, it is. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/11 "2013-12-19T14:56:11Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > [http://www.newsnet5.com/news/national/to-russia-with-love-president-obama-sends-message-picks-openly-gay-athletes-for-sochi-winter-games](http://www.newsnet5.com/news/national/to-russia-with-love-president-obama-sends-message-picks-openly-gay-athletes-for-sochi-winter-games) > I’m okay with this. You think Putin will get the message? He’ll get the message that we’re not respecting his authoritah. I doubt he cares about gays nearly as much as he cares about being Emperor of Greater Russia, and I can’t imagine he’d see this as anything other than a personal slight. Whether he’ll do anything about it is unknown. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/12 "2013-12-19T18:59:51Z")
Breaking news! Former men’s figure skater and member of the US delegation to Sochi, [Brian Boitano, announces that he is gay](http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/sochi/2013/12/19/brian-boitano-announces-he-is-gay-sochi-delegation/4125427/). ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/13 "2013-12-19T19:12:13Z")
Yeah-I thought it was funny that all the news articles were going on about how there were _two_ gay athletes going (King and Cahow), and I was wondering why Boitano wasn’t included. I pretty much assumed he had been out for decades. Is there _anybody_ that didn’t know he was gay? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/14 "2013-12-19T19:17:16Z")
I was wondering what Brain Boitano would do. I’m wondering why we just don’t boycott the whole thing? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/15 "2013-12-19T19:26:03Z")
Yeah, because that has always worked so well in the past. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/16 "2013-12-19T19:50:29Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > I’m wondering why we just don’t boycott the whole thing? Because of 1976 and 1980. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/17 "2013-12-19T21:35:13Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Because of 1976 and 1980. 1976? Do you mean 1984? I realize there was a boycott in 1976 (something to do with African nations boycotting because the IOC would not ban New Zealand after a rugby team played in South Africa); there was also one in 1988 (a number of countries, including Cuba, refused to attend, in support of North Korea boycotting over the fact that “half of the games” were not being held in the North). ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/18 "2013-12-19T21:40:38Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > I was wondering what Brain Boitano would do. I bet he’d do a dude or two! That’s what Brian Boitano’d do. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/19 "2013-12-19T21:58:33Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > 1976? Do you mean 1984? I realize there was a boycott in 1976 (something to do with African nations boycotting because the IOC would not ban New Zealand after a rugby team played in South Africa); there was also one in 1988 (a number of countries, including Cuba, refused to attend, in support of North Korea boycotting over the fact that “half of the games” were not being held in the North). 1980: US and many other countries boycott the Moscow games over the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan. 1984: The Soviet bloc retaliates by boycotting the LA games over purported concerns for athletes’ safety. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/20 "2013-12-20T00:06:41Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > 1976? Do you mean 1984? I realize there was a boycott in 1976 (something to do with African nations boycotting because the IOC would not ban New Zealand after a rugby team played in South Africa); there was also one in 1988 (a number of countries, including Cuba, refused to attend, in support of North Korea boycotting over the fact that “half of the games” were not being held in the North). There were boycotts in every Olympic Games from 1976 to 1988. Barcelona in 1992 were the first olympics in 16 years that were not boycotted by anybody. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645.md?page=2)