Vladimir Putin says 40 thousand law enforcement and special services officers will provide security at the Olympics.
He also says there will be no persecution of gays, insisting that the law Russia recently passed against gay propaganda applies only to child sex offenses:
In our country, all people are absolutely equal regardless of their religion, sex, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Everybody is equal. We have recently only passed a law prohibiting propaganda, and not of homosexuality only, but of homosexuality and child abuse, child sexual abuse. But this has nothing in common with persecuting individuals for their sexual orientation. And there is a world of difference between these things. So there is no danger for individuals of non-traditional sexual orientation who are planning to come to the Games as guests or participants.
The law is called "Ban on propaganda of pedophilia and homosexuality". Putin says Russia does not criminalize homosexuality.
I would like to draw your attention to the fact, that in Russia, as opposed to one third of the world’s countries, there is no criminal liability for homosexuality. 70 countries in the world have criminal liability for homosexuality, and seven countries out of these 70 enforce the death penalty for homosexuality.
He makes this point:
Those 70 countries I have mentioned mostly belong to the Islamic world, and the ones enforcing death penalty all have Islam as state religion.
....In some US states, homosexuality is criminally punishable. And how can they criticize us for a far gentler and more liberal approach to these issues compared to the one they have at home?
He also brings up Elton John:
[P]eople of non-traditional sexual orientation cannot feel like inferior people here, because there is no professional, career or social discrimination against them, by the way. And when they achieve great results, such as, for instance Elton John achieves, who is an extraordinary person, a distinguished musician, and millions of our people sincerely love him with no regard to his sexual orientation, and his sexual orientation does not affect attitudes to him, especially as to a distinguished musician.
I think that this quite democratic approach to people of non-traditional sexual orientation alongside with measures aimed to protect children and future demographic development is optimum.
Putin says:
People have different sexual orientation. We would welcome all athletes and all guests at the Olympics.
He also says protests against the new law are not illegal because they are not "propaganda of homosexuality itself or child sexual abuse."
I haven't been following the issue of Russia and gay rights, so I don't know whether Putin is being genuine or trying to spin the country's official position on gay rights. But I do think Russia's security will be adequate, and the games will be safe. For the athletes who have worked so hard to compete, I certainly hope so. It's hard to fathom what a terror group would gain from attacks on the Olympics other than the universal hatred of almost everyone around the world.
