Today marks the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. It also marks the start of a universal event, promoting equality and acceptance, being held in a (highly) discriminating country. Queue the controversy…
It‘s no secret that Russia, under the rule of Vladimir Putin, is not accepting of the LGBT community. Russia‘s strong, anti-gay laws has been the subject of much discussion – especially leading up to the Olympics. And today, on the first day of the Games, Google has very subtly taken a huge stand against Russia‘s ridiculous laws.
Google‘s doodle today pays homage to the start of the Games, however, it is so much more than a “˜good luck‘ to the Olympians.
The doodle features various Winter Olympic athletes, in the colour and pattern of the rainbow gay pride flag. Genius.
Furthermore, if you click on the doodle, it redirects you to the search results for the Olympic Charter. On the Google homepage, there is also an excerpt from the Olympic Charter that reads:
“œThe practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.”
Well played, Google.
Russia‘s anti-gay laws has been condemned by various global organizations and companies, including the UN. The country boldly restricts the rights of it‘s gay citizens and bans everything labeled as “˜homosexual propaganda‘.
Putin is also very outspoken about his anti-gay stance, and often let‘s out derogatory and discriminatory statements about the LGBT community.
In the months leading up to the Olympics, there has been numerous calls and petitions to boycott the games entirely. Some individual olympians have also taken a stand against the laws.
Google has made no official announcement about their stance against Russia‘s laws, or today‘s doodle in particular. A spokeswoman for Google also declined to comment on the matter.
But, we get the message loud and clear. It seems almost better that way – actions do indeed speak louder than words.
Showing no compromise (or fear for that matter), Google has also changed their Russian homepage, complete with doodle and excerpt.
It‘s always heartwarming to see giant brands, like Google, take a stand against pressing issues such as this. Let‘s just hope Vladimir Putin googles something today…
Source: LA Times
