Will there be an international boycott against the upcoming Sochi Olympics?

Will there be an international boycott against the upcoming Sochi Olympics?

Dr. Conor O’Dwyer (University of Florida, Political Science) will give a lecture, "The Politics of Gay Rights in Russia and Eastern Europe: From National Taboo to International Cause Célèbre." Tuesday, November 12 in the Stetson Room at 7:00 p.m.

Read more about the situation here. 

Title: "The Politics of Gay Rights in Postcommunist Europe: From National Taboo to International Cause Célèbre"
Abstract: In recent years, homosexuality and gay rights have entered the political arena in postcommunist Europe. From the banned Pride parades in Poland in the mid-2000s, to the recent adoption of laws against “homosexual propaganda” in Russia and the looming threat of an international boycott against those laws in the upcoming Sochi Olympics, it is clear that across the region gay rights are moving from the realm of the taboo to that of the politically contested. Seeing this process as offering a new and compelling perspective on the rapidly changing conceptions of national identity, citizenship, and belonging in these societies, my research examines how and why it is occurring. In this talk, I will focus on the question of the extent to which the European Union has been successful in supporting gay-rights advocacy groups in the new member-states of Eastern Europe. I then explore the implications of this example for attempts by international actors to use the upcoming Olympics to pressure Russia to improve its legal framework for LGBT persons.