Thoughts on the Winter Olympics

By Yelena Samofalova

Being Russian, I’ve experienced some things differently than my friends. Although I’ve been here since I was five, I’ve been exposed to Russian culture and speak Russian at home. When I first heard about the Winter Olympics being held in Sochi, Russia, I was super excited, even though I’ve never been there, I was glad that my culture was going to be represented through the Olympics. However, when Putin started making statements against the gay community, I started to feel betrayed and began to reconsider my thoughts on the Olympics being held in Russia. I didn’t jump on the bandwagon of relocating the Olympics though. I realized that if we as Americans were to protest the Olympics because of Russia’s laws, a European could easily justify boycotting the Olympics were they to be held in the United States over the death penalty or gun control (among other things). I think this might even bring much-needed awareness to Putin’s unfair laws and what’s going on in the country. My family are strongly Russian Orthodox, but they’ve never taught me anything about hating others or anything against homosexuality. I know there are many homophobes in Russia, but there are also supporters of gay rights. I’m appalled by the photos of peaceful protesters who were attacked by the police, and I’m especially against Putin’s latest comments, where he said “We have a ban on the propaganda of homosexuality and paedophilia.” It’s a ridiculous and unfair statement. However, I still think the Winter Olympics should be held in Russia, and hope that one day we can all move forward and a person’s sexuality will not be an issue in any of the world’s countries.