Lady Gaga Urges Boycott of Russian Olympics Over Anti-Gay Laws
Over a year after being targeted by Russian officials for violating local laws prohibiting "gay propaganda," Lady Gaga is urging the U.S. to boycott the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics over Russia's homophobic laws.
"I don't think that we should be going to the Olympics at all," Gaga told British talk show host Alan Carr. "I just think it is absolutely wrong for so many countries to give money and [support the] economy of a country that doesn't support gays…. It's not just that they don’t support the gay community—they pepper spray and beat them in Russia."
As for the Olympic hopefuls who would suffer under a boycott, she acknowledged her "opinion is not highly regarded" on the subject and said she would hate to "take anything away from their hard work."
Regardless of whether you agree with her, it's hard to argue with her logic: Russian laws are virulently homophobic, and the Olympics will pump millions into the country's economy.
So far, Gaga is the only major pop star to demand a U.S. boycott of the Olympics. Elton John is playing Moscow today and promised to say "something meaningful" about the country's anti-gay laws during his set. But we'll have to wait and see if he joins the godmother of his two children in urging a boycott of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
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