The Principle Six campaign, also Principle 6, or P6, was launched in January 2014 as an Olympic protests of Russian anti-gay laws in conjunction with the 2014 Winter Olympics being held in Sochi, Russia. Principle 6 refers to the sixth principle of the Olympic Charter that says any form of discrimination "is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement."[1]

Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.[2][3]

Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell noted that openly gay and lesbian athletes are actively discriminated against in Russia as well as dozens of countries that criminalize same-sex relationships, or gay people generally on an institutional level.[4] "These are clear breaches of the anti-discrimination Principle Six of the Olympic Charter. Yet the International Olympic Committee has said and done nothing. It is allowing the Russian government to ban the Pride House and discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) athletes and spectators."[4]

The Principle Six campaign was put together by All Out, a social media organizing advocacy group with 1.9 million members come from every country in the world, and Athlete Ally, an organization working to end homophobia and transphobia in sports by reaching out to athletic communities.[5] American Apparel partnered with the two groups to produce and distribute Principle 6 gear online and in their stores globally

Background

Olympic protests of Russian anti-gay laws arose in the months leading up to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Scheduled to take place from 6 to 23 February 2014, the Olympic Games is a major international multi-sport event that occurs once every four years. Up to that time that atmosphere in future and politics for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people has been generally improving. In 2013 Russia received criticism from around the world and across the international community for enacting a law that bans the distribution of "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" to minors.[6] Since the passage of the anti-gay propaganda law, the media has reported the arrest of a gay rights activist[7] as well as a surging incidence of hate crimes motivated by homophobia,[8][9] including hate crimes perpetrated by neo-Nazi groups against gay minors.[10][11] A law prohibiting gay pride parades in Moscow for one-hundred years has also recently been enacted.[12]

International pressure was leveraged to compel the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to move the Olympics to another country, as well as pressure on Olympic sponsors to take a stand for LGBT equality. In tandem, calls to boycott and protest the Olympics before, during, and after the games, also went out, with various organizations and groups organizing efforts. In addition several politicians, including U.S. President Barack Obama, and members of his administration, and other world leaders have publicly stated they would not attend, and these actions have been tied to the protest efforts. In the U.S., the Olympic delegation is made up of several LGBT Olympians, and athletes including Brian Boitano, and Martina Navratilova.

In response to protest and boycott efforts, corporations and the IOC have made steps to guarantee the safety of their employees, athletes, and staff, who are in Russia in advance or during the Olympics.

On-site ambassadors in Sochi, Russia

Athletes expected to attend and compete at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games

Olympic athlete co-signers

Professional athlete co-signers

References

  1. ↑ Sochi Olympics Surrounded By Turmoil
  2. ↑ Nesting-doll set to raise awareness of Russian LGBT controversy
  3. ↑ Olympic Charter
  4. 1 2 Comment: ‘The Sochi games will go down in history as the anti-gay Olympics’
  5. ↑ Russian anti-gay gang violence seen for the first time on camera: Forthcoming C4 documentary reveals disturbing methods used by homophobic groups as Olympics near
  6. ↑ Elder, Miriam (11 June 2013). "Russia passes law banning gay 'propaganda'". The Guardian.
  7. ↑ "Arrested By His Parents, Gay Russian Activist To Be First Person Convicted Under Propaganda Law". Queerty. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  8. ↑ Luhn, Alec (1 September 2013). "Russian anti-gay law prompts rise in homophobic violence". The Guardian.
  9. ↑ Weaver, Courtney (16 August 2013). "Russia gay propaganda law fuels homophobic attacks". Financial Times.
  10. ↑ "Russian Neo-Nazis Allegedly Lure, Torture Gay Teens With Online Dating Scam". Huffington Post. 7 August 2013.
  11. ↑ "Gay teenager kidnapped and tortured by Russian homophobes claimed to have died from injuries". Pink News. 6 August 2013. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  12. ↑ "BBC News - Gay parades banned in Moscow for 100 years". Bbc.co.uk. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  13. ↑ AUSSIE ATHLETES ADD THEIR VOICE TO RUSSIA PROTEST Archived 2014-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
  14. 1 2 3 Aussie athletes urge Russia reconsider anti-gay laws
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Nick Symmonds, Megan Rapinoe Among 52 Olympians Protesting Putin’s Anti-Gay Laws
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Here Are The 52 Olympians Pushing For Repeal Of Russia’s Anti-Gay Laws
  17. ↑ 52 Olympic Athletes Urge Russia to Repeal Anti-Gay Law
  18. ↑ Winter Olympics 2014: more than 50 Olympians join campaign urging Russia to repeal its anti-gay laws: Current and former Olympic stars have signed up to the ‘Principle 6’ campaign, which aims to put pressure on the International Olympic Committee and its sponsors to act over legislation forbidding ‘gay propaganda’
  19. ↑ "Russian roulette at Sochi Games as Vladimir Putin steps up hyperbole". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2014-01-31. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25.
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