US athlete Nick Symmonds speaks out agast Rsia's anti-gay law Mosw | Rsia | The Guardian

Contents:

• U.S. NNER NICK SYMMONDS, GAY RIGHTS CHAMPN, TO RETIRE
• IN MOSW, AMERIN RUNNER DEDIT HIS MEDAL TO GAY FRIENDS
• US ATHLETE NICK SYMMONDS SPEAKS OUT AGAST RSIA'S ANTI-GAY LAW MOSW
• OLYMPIC NNER NICK SYMMONDS ON WHY HE SUPPORTS GAY RIGHTS AND ADVICE FOR ATHLET SOCHI
• AMERIN RUNNER WS RSIA, CRICIZ ANTI-GAY LAW
• NICK SYMMONDS BLASTS RSIA ON GAY RIGHTS AT MOSW TRACK CHAMPNSHIP
• RSIA, SCRAP YOUR ANTI-GAY LAWS
• NICK SYMMONDS DEDIT SILVER MEDAL TO GAY FRIENDS; SAYS HE COULDN'T REMA SILENT
• NICK SYMMONDS DEDIT SILVER MEDAL W IN RSIA TO GAYS
• NICK SYMMONDS, U.S. OLYMPICS RUNNER, SLAMS RSIA'S ANTI-GAY LAW
• RUNNER NICK SYMMONDS DIT WORLD TRACK SILVER MEDAL RSIA TO HIS GAY, LBIAN IENDS
• AMERIN RUNNER DEDIT MOSW SILVER MEDAL TO HIS GAY FRIENDS AMID RSIA'S ANTI-GAY CRACKDOWN

U.S. NNER NICK SYMMONDS, GAY RIGHTS CHAMPN, TO RETIRE

Middle distance nner Nick Symmonds has always been one of my favore athlet for not beg aaid to speak out on a host of issu, pecially his support for gay rights. In 2013, after Rsia had passed a seri of anti-gay laws, Symmonds won a silver medal the 800 meters at the World Track Champnships beg held Mosw. “But when I was out Rsia and saw firsthand how gays were treated, the streets and beg shoved to the ground jt for kissg one another or holdg hands, the amount of hatred and tolerance that was actually out there, I said this is jt so wrong.

“I would say that beg openly gay track and field is gog to be a tough road at tim. But we need people to bravely e out and show people that jt bee you're gay don't mean you n't n fast.

IN MOSW, AMERIN RUNNER DEDIT HIS MEDAL TO GAY FRIENDS

But ultimately the biggt thg we n do is have role mols who are gay the sports we like to look up to. Olympic sprter and renowned LGBTQ, who protted Rsia’s anti-gay laws, by ditg his silver medal to gay fans, has surprised many clarg Semenya should not be able to n agast women. In a 2014 terview wh Outsports, Nick Symmonds explaed why he supports gay rights and the importance of out gay role mols sports.

“For me, ’s not that I’m so pro-gay marriage. I would be fe if the ernment said that gay people nnot marry, but that se they have to say that heterosexuals n’t marry eher. This week, Chand me out as gay.

Instead, the news beme Symmonds' ditn of his medal to his gay and lbian iends. The official state news agency RIA Novosti reported that the middle distance nner beme the first athlete "to openly cricize Rsia's ntroversial anti-gay law on the untry's soil.

US ATHLETE NICK SYMMONDS SPEAKS OUT AGAST RSIA'S ANTI-GAY LAW MOSW

"Whether you're gay, straight, black, whe, we all serve the same rights. " Rsia has been gettg a lot of cricism after passed laws crimalizg "homosexual propaganda.

"Nobody's more offend than me by some of the anti-gay and -lbian legislatn that we've been seeg Rsia. "If I am placed a race wh a Rsian athlete, I will shake his hand, thank him for his untry's genero hospaly, and then, after kickg his ass the race, silently dite the w to my gay and lbian iends back home. US nner Nick Symmonds beme the first ternatnal athlete to nounce Rsia's law agast "gay propaganda" on the untry's soil after wng a medal at the world athletics champnships Mosw.

OLYMPIC NNER NICK SYMMONDS ON WHY HE SUPPORTS GAY RIGHTS AND ADVICE FOR ATHLET SOCHI

Symmonds dited his silver medal the 800m on Tuday to his gay and lbian iends at home and lled for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr equaly, news agenci reported. He ma ternatnal news this past Augt after wng the silver medal at the World Track and Field Champnships Mosw, then ditg his medal to his gay fans as a way to prott Rsia's new anti-gay laws.

I was foced on why he has bee such an outspoken champn of gay rights. As [gay rights] beme more and more an issue, my fay and I had discsns about how we felt about this.

AMERIN RUNNER WS RSIA, CRICIZ ANTI-GAY LAW

For me, 's not that I'm so pro-gay marriage. I would be fe if the ernment said that gay people nnot marry, but that se they have to say that heterosexuals n't marry eher. I've had gay iends growg up.

NICK SYMMONDS BLASTS RSIA ON GAY RIGHTS AT MOSW TRACK CHAMPNSHIP

Gog to a Catholic high school Boise, of urse my gay iends weren't out necsarily. As I got to llege [Willamette Universy Oregon] and moved to more liberal Oregon, I had many out gay iends. Gay and straight people are all the same, so why they would they be treated differently the ey of the ernment, I never unrstood.

Outsports: You also spoke out agast the Boy Suts of Ameri and their stand on gay suts and sut lears. Nick Symmonds: It really started when I was readg an article on how the Boy Suts of Ameri were discrimatg agast gay suts and lears and as an Eagle Sut I was really shocked. Outsports: They are now allowg young gay suts, but you n't be a sut lear and be openly Symmonds: I thk that's absurd.

RSIA, SCRAP YOUR ANTI-GAY LAWS

Outsports: After you won the silver medal Mosw, you publicly dited your medal to to gay fans. Yet days before, you wrote that even though you opposed Rsia's anti-gay laws, you would rema silent out of urty. But when I was out Rsia and saw firsthand how gays were treated, the streets and beg shoved to the ground jt for kissg one another or holdg hands, the amount of hatred and tolerance that was actually out there, I said this is jt so wrong.

NICK SYMMONDS DEDIT SILVER MEDAL TO GAY FRIENDS; SAYS HE COULDN'T REMA SILENT

Nick Symmonds: I spoke wh some gay Rsians there who said that their own experience, the way they are beg treated currently is worse than the way they were treated unr munist le, which I thk is tellg.

I believe I said my origal blog for "Runner's World" that when I feated a Rsian on the track, I would silently dite to my gay iends back home.

NICK SYMMONDS DEDIT SILVER MEDAL W IN RSIA TO GAYS

' I said no, what I'd like to do is dite this medal to all my gay and lbian iends back home. I thk that we n fd ways to have our voic heard and still get our jobs done as profsnal I me out and protted the anti-gay propaganda laws of Rsia, everyone said thank you for takg a stand. Outsports: You are of a generatn where gay rights are wily accepted, cludg same-sex marriage.

Yet at the 2012 London Gam, only 23 athlet were openly gay or lbian, three of them men.

NICK SYMMONDS, U.S. OLYMPICS RUNNER, SLAMS RSIA'S ANTI-GAY LAW

Why do you thk gay athlet do not e out publicly at greater numbers sports? Nick Symmonds: The sportg field is still a field where beg openly gay or supportg gay rights is still somewhat taboo.

Those that are gay and rea om sharg publicly, I thk a lot of that has to do wh the fact that they're aaid of ostracizg fans or potentially losg sponsors. Many athlet have sponsors that are n by nservativ and the sponsors uld pull out if they felt they had differg views on polics, pecially gay marriage. Do you thk would be acceptg of openly gay petors?

If someone were to e out as openly gay the sport of track and field, I thk certaly among the younger generatn there will be overwhelmg support for . Straight people n play sports well, gay people n play sports well. Outsports: Have you known any gay track athlet?

RUNNER NICK SYMMONDS DIT WORLD TRACK SILVER MEDAL RSIA TO HIS GAY, LBIAN IENDS

In track and field, I n certaly thk of half a dozen, at least, that I know would intify as gay or bisexual. I thk that any person who intifi as gay or bisexual or transgenr is gog to always thread lightly wh people that they don't know very well who might be judgmental.

Outsports: What advice would you give an athlete Sochi who wish to register opposn to Rsia's anti-gay laws whout nng afoul of IOC l? Somethg else that I've suggted is that athlet who are themselv very much pro-gay rights e together and fd a rpectful yet effective way to nvey their disgt wh those laws. Outsports: If there is a young gay track and field person readg this, and they wanted to know if their sport and their sexual orientatn were patible, what would you say to them?

AMERIN RUNNER DEDIT MOSW SILVER MEDAL TO HIS GAY FRIENDS AMID RSIA'S ANTI-GAY CRACKDOWN

Nick Symmonds: I would say that beg openly gay track and field is gog to be a tough road at tim.

14, 2013— -- Amerin nner Nick Symmonds beme the first foreign athlete to cricize Rsia's new anti-gay law on Rsian soil shortly after wng a silver medal at the World Athletics Champnships Mosw.

Symmonds said he would like to wear a rabow flag p durg petns to show his support for gay rights Rsia and around the world, but quickly add, "They've ma very clear that will land you jail. Afterward, he dited his medal to his gay and lbian iends. Symmonds has long been a vol supporter of gay rights.