Here are some of the athletes, advocates, and LGBT activists who will be part of the international conversation about sports and human rights.
Johnny Weir
Whether or not he actually skates in Sochi, Weir (a sixth-place finisher in Vancouver) plans to be a constant presence in and around the Olympic scene. He made that abundantly clear in a recent interview with Canadian television, and he, more than any other athlete in the world right now, has the chance to become the primary face and voice of the LGBT rights movement on the ground as the Games are in progress. He even went so far recently as saying he's willing to be arrested in Russia in order to make a point about his commitment to LGBT equality.
AP / LEHTIKUVA, Antti Almo-Kolvisto
Nikolai Alexeyev
Nikolai Alexeyev is arguably the most visible LGBT activist in Russia. He's led efforts for Moscow Pride since 2005 and has been beaten, harassed, and arrested several times as a result. In May 2012, Alexeyev became the first person to be arrested under St. Petersburg's anti-gay propaganda law after holding a sign that said “Homosexuality is not a perversion” in front of Smolny Institute. As of this week, he may soon face charges for tweeting about Russia's state-sanctioned homophobia.
Denis Tyrin / AP
Ireen Wüst
A gold medalist in 2006 (3,000-meter speed skating) and 2010 (1,500-meter), Wüst is a national hero in her native Netherlands, where speed-skating is the most highly regarded sport of all. Wüst talked openly about her girlfriend, another Dutch speed-skater, in a 2009 TV interview, and she'll be gunning for gold in her third consecutive Olympics. And a dominant performance at the World Championships in Sochi this past March means she may be the favorite in both events for which she's previously won gold. That would mean lots of prime medal stand time for a show of support.
Grigory Dukor / Reuters
Andre Banks
On Aug. 7, members of All Out, which Andre Banks co-founded, traveled to Switzerland to deliver a petition against Russia's anti-gay laws to the IOC. The petition had more than 300,000 signatures. Twenty-four hours later, Banks showed up at the front gate of the Russian consulate in New York City to give Vitaly Churkin, Russian's United Nations ambassador, a copy as well. As the executive director of All Out, which specifically focus on LGBT causes abroad and boats a membership of more than 1.8 million people in 190 countries, Andre Banks may well prove to be one of the loudest American voices in the outcry against Russia's anti-gay law.
Jorge Rivas
