Vladimir Putin: gay people at Winter Olympics must 'leave children alone'

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Vladimir Putin: gay people at Winter Olympics must 'leave children alone'

Shaun Walker in Moscow
theguardian.com, Friday 17 January 2014 13.55 GMT

Vladimir Putin has said that gay people will be not be subjected to harassment at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, as long as they stay away from children.

Putin is currently in Sochi reviewing preparations for the games, which begin in three weeks. During a meeting with some of the thousands of volunteers who will work during the Olympics, he was asked why their uniforms were rainbow coloured, given the recent Kremlin anti-gay initiatives.

"We do not have a ban on non-traditional sexual relationships," said Putin in comments reported by Russian agencies. "We have a ban on the propaganda of homosexuality and paedophilia. I want to underline this. Propaganda among children. These are absolutely different things – a ban on something or a ban on the propaganda of that thing."

Putin also added that Russia was more liberal than some other countries, claiming that in certain US states homosexuality is still punishable by law.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/17/vladimir-putin-gay-winter-olympics-children

[zazen]

1. Authoritarian homophobe? Check. Maybe the GOP will put Putin on its 2016 ticket. n/t

[Scuba]

2. Straight people, however, may molest with impunity.

[Ghost Dog]

4. Putin comments that Russia bans paedophilia,

so this DU comment looks like bigoted hyperbole.

[BeyondGeography]

3. Another offensive, nails-on-the-blackboard moment from Vlad

Asshole.

[Lifelong Protester]

5. So what one does is their business,

just don't talk about it? So there can be all kinds of hetero "propaganda"?

[monmouth3]

6. You know, it matters not geographically or culturally where these idiots are from, they truly

are all alike. I know of not one gay person, and I know many, who have ever had any interest in children. He is so uninformed and frankly, a lot sick...