Earlier this month, Michael Cashman, a British member of the European Parliament, took to the floor to speak out against the anti-gay laws in Russia leading up to the Sochi Games.
“The discrimination, violence and human rights attacks by Putin are entirely unacceptable; attacks on lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people are equally unacceptable,” Cashman said. “I trust our athletes to speak out in Sochi, but I condemn sponsors like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Visa for their continued support of the games. I will boycott these sponsors starting now with Visa.”
Cashman then took out his own Visa card and began to cut it into tiny pieces.
“Madame President,” he declared, “Not” –slice– “in” –slice– “my” –slice– “name.”
In wake of Russia’s striking anti-gay legislation, Olympic sponsors have received plenty of negative criticism for sponsoring the Sochi Games. Students at Wesleyan University dumped Coke in the streets to protest Coca-Cola’s sponsorship. Protesters staged pickets outside of McDonald’s worldwide leading up to the games to object its sponsorship.
Some corporations linked to the Olympics, such as AT&T, have publicly denounced Russia’s anti-gay laws and affirmed its allegiance to tolerance and inclusion, but no global sponsors like Coca-Cola, Visa or McDonald’s have yet to follow AT&T’s lead.
It’s important to note that just because these companies are sponsoring the Olympics, it does not necessarily mean they are sponsoring the human rights abuses put in place by the host government.
Coca-Cola, for instance, has received a perfect score eight years in a row on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index which ranks and scores Fortune 500 companies based on their LGBT inclusion in the workplace. Coca-Cola has also received praise for its “[America, the Beautiful](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=443Vy3I0gJs)” Super Bowl advertisement that showcased America’s diversity, featuring a gay couple and their children.
Should we overlook these instances of inclusion just because Coke has continued to sponsor the Olympic Games?
Many argue “yes” because the violent oppression Russia’s LGBT community faces on a daily basis outweighs Coke’s workplace protections or diversity in its advertisements. If Coke were really for the LGBT community, a boycott of the Sochi Games would send that message loud and clear.
I agree with that premise, but I also seek to challenge it.
If we continually condemn corporations, like Coca-Cola, which have proven to be LGBT-inclusive but just happen to fall below perfect, no corporations will ever want to try.
When we place the blame on Coke and other sponsors of the Olympics, we are diverting attention away from the oppressive regimes who put these laws into effect in the first place. Even boycotting the games themselves, a tactic tried multiple times before, punishes the athletes who spent years training for the occasion. Dumping Coke and picketing McDonald’s now does send a message to the Olympics’ global sponsors that LGBT equality is worth fighting for, but real change for Russia’s LGBT community will require more effort than that.
With enough public interest, securing international LGBT equality will remain a prevalent issue worth fight for beyond the Sochi Games. Perhaps enough so that the International Olympic Committee will do as it has done in the past and bar invitation to countries with human rights violations. Countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and Sudan have laws in place much harsher than Russia’s, where being LGBT can mean lifelong imprisonment or the death penalty. Real change will come when these countries are banned from participating in the Olympics as long as their anti-LGBT legislation and behaviors remain in place.
