Above: Senator Coons wears a Russian-language “Love Conquers Hate” t-shirt in support of the Human Rights Campaign’s fight against Russia’s anti-LGBT laws.
Senator Coons and ten of his colleagues have written to the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), expressing their concern about the IOC’s recent declaration that it is “fully satisfied” that a Russian law banning “homosexual propaganda” does not violate the Olympic Charter.
The senators noted that the Olympic Charter requires the IOC to take action against any form of discrimination. According to the Olympic Charter, “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.”
“In that regard, we write to express our deep concern about the IOC’s recent declaration that ‘as long as the Olympic Charter is upheld, we are fully satisfied,’ ” the senators wrote. “We disagree with this position, and strongly urge you to reconsider given that the Russian law banning ‘homosexual propaganda’ is clearly inconsistent with the Olympic Charter.”
Read the full letter below: