NEW YORK, NY — More than 29,000 people have signed on to a fast-growing petition on Change.org calling on American Olympians to wear pride pins on their uniforms or to wave gay pride flags during the opening ceremonies of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games to send a message of support for human rights to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government.
The petition was started by Laurence Hewitt, an Olympics fan and ally to the LGBT community from New York, who is concerned about Russia's recently passed anti-gay legislation and its increasingly hostile climate for LGBT people. Hewitt's petition on Change.org calls on US athletes to show support for gay rights in Russia and joins similar campaigns in Canada, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.
"This isn't about politics — it's about human rights. By taking a highly-visible stand in support of human rights, Olympic athletes can send a strong message to the Russian government that their current policies of discrimination are not acceptable to the rest of the world," said Hewitt, who started the campaign on Change.org . "To truly march with pride, the athletes of the world should act with a single voice against this oppression. A voice that Russian citizens, themselves, cannot express."
To ensure that US athletes are able to safely support gay rights, Hewitt's petition asks the International Olympic Committee and the US Olympic Committee to affirm that athletes will be able to do so without punishment. Openly gay New Zealand speed skater Blake Skjellerup has already pledged to wear the rainbow pin no matter the consequences.
Hewitt's idea is mirrored in petitions launched in Canada, the UK, Germany and Spain. Other Sochi-related petitions on Change.org include a 173,000+-signature petition calling for the Games to be relocated to Vancouver, a 204,000+-signature petition calling on five major Olympic sponsors to condemn the anti-gay laws, and a petition asking for the Miss Universe pageant to be moved from Moscow.
"In the US alone, there are over 40 campaigns on Change.org with a combined total of over 290,000 signatures related to the Olympics and Russia's anti-gay laws," said Tim Newman, Deputy Campaign Director at Change.org . "It's clear that this issue — and Laurence's campaign especially — are resonating with people across the country."
Live signature count of Laurence Hewitt's petition www.change.org/PridePins .
