Should Yelena Isinbayeva be dropped as Olympic ambassador for homophobic comments?

[karter]

Should Yelena Isinbayeva be dropped as Olympic ambassador for homophobic comments?

Isinbayeva, Russia’s most celebrated athlete who received her gold medal on THursday after winning her third world crown on Tuesday, also condemned two Swedish athletes for protesting against the law banning the promotion of homosexuality by painting their nails in the colour of the rainbow flag in support of gay rights.

High jumper Emma Green-Tregaro wore rainbow-coloured nails for her high jump qualifying competition yesterday, while compatriot Moa Hjelmer did likewise for her 200 metres heat.

“It’s disrespectful to our country, disrespectful to our citizens, because we are Russians,” Isinbayeva told a news conference in English. “Maybe we are different than European

people and people from different lands. We have our law which everyone has to respect. When we go to different countries, we try to follow their rules. We are not trying to set our rules over there. We are just trying to be respectful.”

The new legislation has attracted worldwide criticism and has prompted calls by some gay-rights organisations, as well actor and comedian Stephen Fry, for a boycott of next year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi, where the law will apply to both athletes and spectators. Critics say the ban on promoting homosexuality effectively criminalises gay rights rallies and could be used to prosecute anyone voicing support for homosexuals.


But Isinbayeva, who is an ambassador for the Sochi Games and has been appointed ‘mayor’ of the athletes’ village, said: “If we allow people to promote and do all this stuff on the street, we are very afraid about our nation because we consider ourselves like normal, standard people. We just live with boys with woman, woman with boys.
“It comes from history. We never had any problems, these problems in Russia, and we don’t want to have any in the future.”
Isinbayeva’s remarks drew a stinging rebuke from American middle-distance runner Nick Simmonds, who became the first athlete competing at the World Championship to denounce the anti-gay law when he dedicated the 800m silver medal he won on Tuesday to his gay and lesbian friends at home.
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, Symmonds said: “It blows my mind that a young, so well-educated woman can be so behind with the times. Guess what Yelena: a large portion of your citizenship are normal, standard homosexuals.

[Zak]

As much as I respect Isinbayeva as an athlete and having the balls to voice her own opinions I don't agree with her. If she wants to be homophobic then that's her choice but I don't think she should be dropped as an Olympic ambassador for it. Especially considering she's probably Russia's best active athlete at the moment.

[Eoin247]

I think she's being more patriotic than homophobic. She's also one of Russia's most public sports figures and when you got people like Putin in power, you want to be seen as supporting the nation's laws.

[-:Undertaker:-]

I fail to see anything outrageous in her comments. The Olympics aren't being held in Soho or San Franciso, they being held in Russia.

...that said, I do hope we see the same amount of noise coming from the taxpayer-funded gay lobby over the 2022 Qatar Games (an Islamic country) as we have seen from the likes of Stonewall aimed at the Church of England in general and more specifically with this, the Russian Government. Time will tell, although I won't count on it - just as you'd never see Stonewall etc marching through Tower Hamlets but you would see them persecuting Christian B&B owners in the courts.

On a more general point regarding these laws the Russians have brought in, do most actually understand what the laws are? the laws are not banning homosexuality (as I saw on claimed BBC World News) - the laws are banning the promotion of homosexuality to minors.... something which polls have shown over 70% of Russians agreed with.

[oli]

She didn't say anything wrong, she wants her laws to be respected, Russia didn't impose anything @ the London Olympics and we have very different ways of living. I actually agree with her that it was a tad disrespectful towards the Russian government to colour their fingernails. She's also not necessarily homophobic she's more patriotic standing for her countries laws.

[karter]

Erm how is that not homophobic?

If we allow people to promote and do all this stuff on the street, we are very afraid about our nation because we consider ourselves like normal, standard people.

1. She clearly called homosexuals abnormal people. I think we don't need to argue upon the fact that this is just offensive.

2. Painting their nails with the rainbow is actually quite a civilised way to protest, so what if it's direspectful, can't you even protest now? Quite the same thing happened in Mexico City Olympics in 1968 but that protest is praised worldwide and all the athletes are considered heroes for it.

(Starting from the left, this is Peter Norman, Australian Athlete wearing a Human Rights badge followed by Gold medallist Tommie Smith and Bronze Medallist John Carlos, both Americans, wearing black socks and raising their fists to symbolize black resistance in the USA)

3. The Russian Bill is a strategy to limit LGBT rights. Russian officials have been quoted saying that this law is there to protect the youth from gay ideology and stop them from being "perverted". Moscow courts are thinking of banning gay pride events for the next 100 years. Not to mention various crackdowns across Russia and homosexuals being brutally beaten up, kidnapped and killed. Such a great law right..and you think we should respect it.

4. Past expulsions from Olympics

• Greek Athlete Voula-Papachristou expelled from London Olympics for this racist tweet

“With so many Africans in Greece, at least the West Nile mosquitoes will eat home made food!!!”

• Swiss footballer Michel Morganella expelled out of the London Olympics for saying "Koreans can go burn" after their Olympic match

5. There were mass protests in 2008 China Olympics against Human Rights violations in Xingjiang and Tibet and the occupation of Tibet, how was that fine then?


In my opinion, Miss Isinbayeva is not a great role model to be standing as an ambassador at an international event. I wouldn't say I genuinely want her to be sacked but I'd support IOC's decision if she is dropped as an ambassador

[Zak]

Erm how is that not homophobic?


1. She clearly called homosexuals abnormal people. I think we don't need to argue upon the fact that this is just offensive.

2. Painting their nails with the rainbow is actually quite a civilised way to protest, so what if it's direspectful, can't you even protest now? Quite the same thing happened in Mexico City Olympics in 1968 but that protest is praised worldwide and all the athletes are considered heroes for it.

(Starting from the left, this is Peter Norman, Australian Athlete wearing a Human Rights badge followed by Gold medallist Tommie Smith and Bronze Medallist John Carlos, both Americans, wearing black socks and raising their fists to symbolize black resistance in the USA)

3. The Russian Bill is a strategy to limit LGBT rights. Russian officials have been quoted saying that this law is there to protect the youth from gay ideology and stop them from being "perverted". Moscow courts are thinking of banning gay pride events for the next 100 years. Not to mention various crackdowns across Russia and homosexuals being brutally beaten up, kidnapped and killed. Such a great law right..and you think we should respect it.

4. Past expulsions from Olympics

• Greek Athlete Voula-Papachristou expelled from London Olympics for this racist tweet

• Swiss footballer Michel Morganella expelled out of the London Olympics for saying "Koreans can go burn" after their Olympic match

5. There were mass protests in 2008 China Olympics against Human Rights violations in Xingjiang and Tibet and the occupation of Tibet, how was that fine then?


In my opinion, Miss Isinbayeva is not a great role model to be standing as an ambassador at an international event. I wouldn't say I genuinely want her to be sacked but I'd support IOC's decision if she is dropped as an ambassador

Sorry if this offends you but I think gay people are abnormal? but there is nothing wrong with abnormal? People cannot help the way they feel. It's abnormal to me that anyone could like anyone of the same sex but that doesn't make it wrong? lol.. Also the law in Russia is the law and the people must abide by it...

[oli]

Erm how is that not homophobic?


1. She clearly called homosexuals abnormal people. I think we don't need to argue upon the fact that this is just offensive.

2. Painting their nails with the rainbow is actually quite a civilised way to protest, so what if it's direspectful, can't you even protest now? Quite the same thing happened in Mexico City Olympics in 1968 but that protest is praised worldwide and all the athletes are considered heroes for it.

(Starting from the left, this is Peter Norman, Australian Athlete wearing a Human Rights badge followed by Gold medallist Tommie Smith and Bronze Medallist John Carlos, both Americans, wearing black socks and raising their fists to symbolize black resistance in the USA)

3. The Russian Bill is a strategy to limit LGBT rights. Russian officials have been quoted saying that this law is there to protect the youth from gay ideology and stop them from being "perverted". Moscow courts are thinking of banning gay pride events for the next 100 years. Not to mention various crackdowns across Russia and homosexuals being brutally beaten up, kidnapped and killed. Such a great law right..and you think we should respect it.

4. Past expulsions from Olympics

• Greek Athlete Voula-Papachristou expelled from London Olympics for this racist tweet

• Swiss footballer Michel Morganella expelled out of the London Olympics for saying "Koreans can go burn" after their Olympic match

5. There were mass protests in 2008 China Olympics against Human Rights violations in Xingjiang and Tibet and the occupation of Tibet, how was that fine then?


In my opinion, Miss Isinbayeva is not a great role model to be standing as an ambassador at an international event. I wouldn't say I genuinely want her to be sacked but I'd support IOC's decision if she is dropped as an ambassador

Like Zak said being abnormal isn't a bad thing. But we should respect the Russian's way of living, they have a different sense of what is right and wrong to us, and we should stop imposing our way of living on them, the west does it to every country and it's just horrible because we're the worst of the bunch.

[karter]

Sorry if this offends you but I think gay people are abnormal? but there is nothing wrong with abnormal? People cannot help the way they feel. It's abnormal to me that anyone could like anyone of the same sex but that doesn't make it wrong? lol.. Also the law in Russia is the law and the people must abide by it...

I think you need to learn the difference between abnormal and different.

ab·nor·mal /abˈnôrməl/ Adjective Deviating from what is normal or usual, typically in a way that is undesirable.

Secondly, just because it is a law doesn't mean it's a good one and everyone should respect it, the racist laws of the US till 1960s were criticized and are still criticized, Saudia Arabia had banned women from driving, Religious conversions are banned in almost all Islamic countries. I really don't see how any of these laws are respectable. Also as Undertaker said, the 'law' isn't even the issue, it's because of the attitude of Russians towards these people.

[oli]

I think you need to learn the difference between abnormal and different.



Secondly, just because it is a law doesn't mean it's a good one and everyone should respect it, the racist laws of the US till 1960s were criticized and are still criticized, Saudia Arabia had banned women from driving, Religious conversions are banned in almost all Islamic countries. I really don't see how any of these laws are respectable. Also as Undertaker said, the 'law' isn't even the issue, it's because of the attitude of Russians towards these people.

Abnormal is out of the ordinary, which is different?

The thing is, you have your way of thinking, they have their way of thinking. You think you're right, they think they're right.