Russia's "anti-gay" laws have created stir after stir leading into the Sochi Winter Olympics, and have led some American athletes, as well as vocal figures in American society to call for an American boycott of the upcoming games.
USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky has made clear that there will be no skipping out on the Olympics by the U.S. "We're trying to educate the athletes that we're getting all the assurances we can from the IOC that athletes will be safe, fans will be safe, and everyone in Sochi will be able to focus on competition."
Bode Miller, a famously mouthy skier with five Olympic medals, didn't call for a boycott but certainly piped up about the controversial laws.
"I think it's absolutely embarrassing that there's countries and there's people who are that intolerant and that ignorant," Miller said. "But it's not the first time. We've been dealing with human-rights issues probably since there were humans."
The laws in question ban "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations to minors," and institutes various financial penalties depending on the offender's standing within Russian society. The fines are steeper for public officials than they are for regular citizens or foreigners.
Miller's assault on the law continued.
"I think it's unfortunate when they get stuffed together because there are politics in sports and athletics," Miller said. "They always are intertwined, even though people try to keep them separate or try to act like they're separate. Asking an athlete to go somewhere and compete and be a representative of a philosophy and ... then tell them they can't express their views or they can't say what they believe, I think is pretty hypocritical or unfair."
American figure skater Ashley Wagner joined Miller in being outspoken on the issue, saying, "I firmly believe that your preferences don't make you any less of a being. It's not what defines you."
"It's inconvenient to talk about," she added. "But it's something I feel so strongly about."
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