LGBT Rights Organization Lobbies IOC To Put Pressure On Russia

LGBT rights group All Out yesterday delivered to the IOC a petition signed by more than 322,000 people "demanding the organization condemn Russia's anti-gay laws and urge the country to repeal them" ahead of the '14 Sochi Games. All Out Exec Dir Andre Banks in a statement said, “If the IOC and Russian government do not take urgent action, the chorus of voices against these laws will dominate the conversation at the Sochi Games” (CANADA.com, 8/7).

This comes after President Obama addressed the issue in a Tuesday appearance on NBC's "The Tonight Show," albeit with a slight flub by describing Summer Olympic sports. Obama said the athletes are "there to compete, and if Russia wants to uphold the Olympic spirit, then every judgment should be made on the track or in the swimming pool or on the balance beam, and people's sexual orientation shouldn't have anything to do with it" (Mult., 8/7).