Why Obama Is Sending Openly Gay Athletes To Russia’s Olympics [View all]
As controversy erupted over Russia’s anti-gay law ahead of next year’s Sochi Olympics, President Barack Obama said that he opposed boycotting the Games in favor of letting the United States delegation lead by example on the LGBT rights front.
“One thing I’m really looking forward to is maybe some gay and lesbian athletes bringing home the gold or silver or bronze, which i think would go a long way in rejecting the kind of attitudes were seeing there,” Obama said. “And if Russia doesn’t have gay or lesbian athletes, it’ll probably make their team weaker.”
Tuesday, Obama took a step forward in showing that example, selecting tennis legend and former U.S. Olympic coach Billie Jean King, a lesbian who has long been an LGBT equality advocate, to be a part of the delegation that will represent the White House at the opening ceremony on February 7. Hockey player Caitlin Cahow, who is also openly gay, will be a part of the delegation to the closing ceremonies on February 23.
King became the first major female athlete to come out in 1981. Cahow came out in an interview in November.
The White House did not, of course, list King or Cahow’s sexuality or advocacy as a reason for their inclusion. King is a Hall of Fame tennis player and a member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, and Cahow is a silver and bronze medal-winning Olympian, so both are worthy selections on their athletic achievements alone. But whether it was a reason for their selection or not, their place in Sochi will demonstrate exactly the point Obama said he hoped American athletes would make.
“The U.S. Delegation to the Olympic Games represents the diversity that is the United States,” the White House said in a statement.
http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2013/12/17/3079061/openly-gay-athletes-billie-jean-king-caitlin-cahow-obama-delegation-sochi-olympics/
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