Russian State TV Hosts Make Anti-LGBTQ Remarks about Tokyo Olympians
LGBTQ athetes have taken the spotlight during the recent Tokyo Olympics. From Tom Daley's first gold medal win, his cute as a kitten knitting skills, to out boxer Nesthy Petecio tearfully dedicating her silver medal to the LGBTQ community, LGBTQ athletes are out and thriving.
However, this exposure hasn't been without its pitfalls, the BBC reports. On Russian state-run TV, coverage of the Tokyo Olympics has sparked homophobic and general anti-LGBTQ remarks.
"Even though the Kremlin has tended to not publicly support anti-LGBT sentiment, it fits in with the state ideology of defending Russia's 'traditional values' against the West," BBC writes. "The state-run channels dedicated several of their talk shows to speak disparagingly about LGBT athletes at the Games, using words like 'abomination' and 'perversion.'"
In response to the upsurge in anti-LGBTQ sentiments on Russian TV, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made it known that they are in the process of contacting the Russian broadcaster to express concern.
"Discrimination has absolutely no place at the Olympic Games," the IOC shared said in a statement to BBC.
Targets of anti-LGBTQ remarks included diver Tom Daley and New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, a transgender woman, who recently shared that being herself during the Olympics was the greatest victory of all.
During a July 26 segment of Rossiya 1, one of the panelists shared that they were "disgusted" by LGBTQ people. During another incident, a state TV presenter donned a wig to mock transgender athletes, along with other homophobic remarks.
In a statement to the BBC, the IOC said: "We have been in contact with our contractual broadcasting partner in Russia in order to get clarity on the situation and to underline the Fundamental Principles of the Olympic Charter and we are following up accordingly."
On how the Olympics has put a spotlight on LGBTQ athletes, the IOC shared, "We welcome that Tokyo 2020 has embedded diversity and inclusion in the Olympic Games model."
Russia was officially banned from Tokyo 2020 after being found guilty of state-sponsored doping, and the country has seemingly resorted to state-sponsored homophobia to express its anger.
However, judging by the amount of medal wins and inspiring stories that played out during the games this year, LGBTQ athletes are just getting started as out and proud winners.