(GayWebSource.com – Gay Media & Press Network) – Posted by Jake Simpson – TheGayUK.com
It seems as though the go to gay for all things Olympics has started to feel the cold from the shoulder the gay community is giving him.
by Newsdesk | 27th October 2013
The figure skater Johnny Weir has had a fair bit to say about the anti-gay agenda in Russia, but it seems as though he won’t be making any political statements whilst he’s in Sochi covering the Sochi Winter Olympics for NBC in 2014.
In an interview with The New York Times Weir said:
‘I risk jail time just going there, but the Olympics are not the place to make a political statement. I’m not a politician and I don’t really talk about politics. You don’t have to agree with the politics, but you have to respect the culture of a country you are visiting… It’s pretty obvious that I’ve been gay my whole life. I don’t need to break any laws or wear a rainbow pin to show people that I support gay rights. I think I’ll do that just by being in Sochi and supporting our people there and know they are not alone.’
Comments from the Queerty users seem to think that he’s a sell out and a hypocrite.
Earlier in the week Weir announced his retirement from figure skating.
Weir has been a strong supporter of not boycotting anything Russian including Vodka.
‘It’s pretty obvious that I’ve been gay my whole life. I don’t need to break any laws or wear a rainbow pin to show people that I support gay rights. I think I’ll do that just by being in Sochi and supporting our people there and know they are not alone.
‘The gay community has not reacted well to me because some people think it’s my responsibility to be an activist. They’re expecting me to hate Russia because I haven’t been given equal rights in Russia.’
So what do you think, is Weir selling out or does he have a point?
Media Provided by the GayWebSource.com – Gay Media & Press Network.
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