Gay Rights in Russia - hardly a level playing field

 

President Putin of Russia is rarely described as a Liberal, but his authoritarian rule has sunk to a new low with the introduction of draconian anti-gay laws in the Russian Duma. The bill was passed by 436 votes to 0 (Putin isn’t the kind of President you say no to) and will ban "gay propaganda" aimed at under 18s. The law is vague and effectively criminalises any action that seems to promote homosexuality (reminiscent of the UK’s infamous "Section 28"), which could involve the arrest of non-Russians (some Dutch tourists have already been arrested for shooting a film about gay rights). There have been grotesque and brutal attacks on gay people and pride marches have been banned, in what seems to be a severe attack on civil democracy, which also arguably goes against the Russian constitution, given that Article 17 guarantees the rights and freedoms of man and citizen according to the universally recognised principles and norms of international law.

 

This has raised serious concerns amongst gay activists around the world with many campaigning for a boycott of all things Russian. Stephen Fry has written a much publicised letter to the British Prime Minister, Lord Coe and the President of the International Olympics Committee to lobby for Russia to be stripped of hosting the Winter Olympics in 2014. The World Athletic Championships are to be held this month in Russia, but sadly the president of the world athletics’ governing body, Lamine Diack sees "no problem" with Russia’s new laws and that the new laws "should be respected". Yes, he actually did say that and it certainly made me choke on my afternoon cuppa. It is possible to see why the athletic championships could not be re-arranged, but it is naïve to assume that sport can not influence events. Sporting bodies can and should make a stand against discriminatory treatment. They are not somehow separate from world events. Many people can still picture Jesse James at the 1936 Olympics making a stand against Nazi Germany, showing how sport can be a powerful tool to shape public opinion. It is arguably irresponsible for such a powerful body as the IAAF not to condemn what is happening in Russia.

 

This begs the question does homophobia still pervade professional sport? At an amateur level, there are many gay sports clubs, but it does seem the case that many gay professional sports people remain reluctant to be open about their sexuality. There are some high profile gay sports people, such as Gareth Thomas, the Welsh rugby player, but they are surprisingly few, given gay people make up around 10% of the population. Are sports players too worried about what their employers will say or do if they come out? Are they worried about the impact on their professional career? Whatever the reason, sports people, as indeed all employees in the UK, are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect within the workplace and not treated less favourably on the grounds of sexual orientation. Many professional sports people are employees, working under employment contracts and are entitled to assert rights they have under the Equality Act.

 

No one can say that gay rights are under threat in the UK in the same way they are in Russia, but nevertheless cases are still brought before the Employment Tribunal for sexual orientation discrimination. It may be a more level playing field here in the UK, but plenty of work still needs to be done.