31.07 US Gay Activists Emboldened as Russian Vodka, Sochi Protests Spread
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WASHINGTON, July 30 (By Carl Schreck for RIA Novosti) As boycotts of Russian vodka spread across the globe in protest over new Russian laws on homosexuality, US gay rights activists warn the campaign could be the first stage in a broader drive targeting Russias economy and image with the Sochi Winter Olympics six months away.
I dont think the Russian vodka industry is going to be hurt, but it brings the attention, journalist and author Michelangelo Signorile, a prominent US gay rights activist, told RIA Novosti on Tuesday. Then well see the focus go to American companies and investment in Russia. That is where there can be a very effective strategy.
Amid a stream of images and reports highlighting an official crackdown and vigilante violence against gays in Russia, US activists last week called for a boycott of Russian vodka, a campaign that has centered on Stolichnaya, an iconic Russian brand of the traditional sprit.
The movement has morphed into a global groundswell, with gay bars in several US cities being joined by establishments in Canada, Britain and Australia in yanking Russian vodka from their shelves.
At the same time, there has been a smattering of calls to boycott the Sochi games, though several notable gay activists and former Olympians including US figure skater Johnny Weir and Olympic champion diver Greg Louganis have publicly stated their opposition to such a move.
Instead, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community could take the momentum from the vodka boycotts and pressure corporations sponsoring the Sochi Olympics, including Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Procter & Gamble and Visa, said Nina Long, co-president of RUSA LGBT, a gay rights group made up of Russian-Americans in New York.
They, of course, are next in line to feel the pressure to withdraw their sponsorship from the games, Long told RIA Novosti on Tuesday Then of course there are companies that heavily invest in Russia, and they would be a third target.
Pressure from LGBT groups is likely to be more effective when applied to economic interests rather than trying to directly impact Russias political system, Long said. A controversial law signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin banning the promotion of non-traditional relationships toward minors is worded too vaguely to hold it up as a clear demonstration of human rights violations, she said.
Critics say the law is part of a broader crackdown on Russias gay community, while proponents say it shields children from harmful influences.
Since US author and gay rights activist Dan Savage called for a boycott of Stolichnaya and other Russian products in a blog post last week, there has been debate in the LGBT community and its supporters about the wisdom and effectiveness of the campaign. Nikolai Alexeyev, a leading Russian gay activist, has said the boycott makes little sense since Stolichnaya commonly known as Stoli is bottled in Latvia and has its corporate headquarters in Luxembourg.
But another well-known US activist, John Aravosis, wrote this week that the point of a boycott isnt only the boycott itself.
My goal in this campaign is to make clear to countries that homophobia is not okay, and that they will pay a severe price for oppressing their [LGBT] citizens, Aravosis wrote. And that goal can be accomplished whether or not Stoli or any other Russian brand loses a lot of, or
