Should gay athletes protest at the Winter Olympics in Sochi?

In 1933, Joseph Stalin amended the Soviet Union’s criminal code to include Article 121 which made sexual relations between men punishable by five years of hard labor in prison - the same disciplinary action that an accused pedophile would face. The harsh measure remained for six decades, finally being repealed in 1993, two years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and six years before homosexuality was officially removed from Russia’s official list of mental illnesses.

While being a homosexual in Russia may have been decriminalized, and no longer considered to be a brain defect, a disturbing trend emerged after Sochi was awarded the Olympics. Nine separate regions in the country - including Krasnodar Krai, where the host city is located - enacted bans on what has casually been referred to as “homosexual propaganda.” Earlier this summer, a similar law was adopted at the federal level that makes “propaganda of nontraditional relationships among the under-aged” illegal across the entire nation.

The law has received fervid international attention, with some activists going so far as to call for a boycott of the Winter Olympics. Adding to the persuasiveness of arguments against going to Sochi to compete were the seemingly daily anecdotes of violent intolerance in Russia that authorities were quick to dismiss as nothing more than the exaggeration of isolated incidents.

In the lead up to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, there was an almost palpable anticipation for an athlete activist to rise up from among the ranks, and act as a spokesperson for gay rights. If not anticipation, then certainly a desire among self-serving journalists searching for an easy quote source to court controversy with regard to Russia's discriminatory laws against homosexuality.

The appetite for protest grew so ridiculous that when two Russian athletes embraced and kissed after winning the 400 meter relay at the World Athletic Championships in Moscow this past summer, it was largely assumed to be done as a political statement. Of course, the moment of affection had more to do with exuberant spontaneity than anyone looking for a story would care to admit.

Actual stances at the international event were much more subdued. Swedish high jumper Emma Green Tregaro painted her fingernails in the colors of the rainbow to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transexual rights, a decision that only became noteworthy when Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva complained that the colors were disrespectful to her homeland. Isinbayeva’s knee-jerk response prompted mockery from sports fans, which in turn elicited a clarification/apology that only prompted more mockery.

While a number of openly homosexual athletes competing in Sochi have been identified, none have made a serious attempt at ascending the podium of public dissent, at least not in the attention-gathering fashion for which journalists seem starved.

Austrian ski jumper Daniela Iraschko-Stolz, who married her wife Isabel Stolz last year, told R-Sport that protests at the Winter Olympics simply aren't worth it.

I always say I'm together with my woman now and don't have any problems, not in Russia or with the Austrian federation. Ten years ago it was different. I don't think it's a good idea to make protests here, no one cares.

I am here as a sportswoman. To jump pretty good is also a statement. I know Russia will go and make the right steps in the future and we should give them time.

It's difficult to reconcile Iraschko-Stolz's comments with much of the coverage coming out of Russia. At some point, "isolated incidents" has to be considered an unsatisfactory description for hate crimes, even for Russian authorities.

It comes as a surprise to many that the punishment inflicted by the infamous “homosexual propaganda” law consists only of a fine, and not state sponsored violence at the hands of neo-Nazi groups. However, the root of hate crimes against homosexuals is difficult to combat when education is made impossible by the illegality of public discourse on the issue.

This explains why the overwhelming majority of Russians (74%) believe homosexuality to be an unacceptable practice, and fewer of the nation’s citizens take an opposing view every year. As other nations around the world seem to be making important strides toward no longer classifying others through sexual identity, Russia is becoming more intolerant.

That doesn't mean homosexual athletes competing in Russia owe it to their sexual identity to publicly protest the law, nor does it entirely justify Iraschko-Stolz's laissez-faire approach to discrimination. Ultimately, the "correct way" for homosexual athletes to treat the situation in Russia isn't going to be easily summed up by visiting journalists.

The rush to do so by the reporting throng leaves a bad taste in one's mouth, especially when the motivation to find an outspoken athlete feels as though it's based in anticipation for breaking a story, rather than anything resembling social progress. "I found one. I found one. A real gay athlete who wants to speak out."

It all leads us to believe that it might be unrealistic to rely on athletes participating in events that represent the culmination of four years work to simultaneously have the mental capability to make impactful political stands and compete to the best of their ability. While certainly the Olympic platform provides the potential - at least in part - to elicit social change, such expectations on young participants are unrealistic.