President Barack Obama’s conspicuous absence from the Sochi Olympics makes a powerful statement for the global LGBT community. His decision to name two openly gay athletes to the U.S. Olympic delegation rings even stronger.

Former U.S. figure skater Brian Boitano and former U.S. ice hockey player Caitlin Cahow, both Olympic medalists, are representing the U.S. in what are arguably the most politically charged Olympic games in recent years.

The former olympians join former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, White House aide Rob Nabors and U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul on the U.S. delegation. This marks the first Olympics since Sydney in 2000 that a president, vice president, first lady or former president has not served on the delegation, according to a Dec. 20 USA Today article.

Through his selection of the U.S. delegation, Obama tactfully and effectively asserted his position on the equality of individuals who identify as LGBT.

His choice leaves no question about the American view on Russia’s controversial ban of LGBT “propaganda” around children, which took effect in the summer of 2013. At the same time, Obama is not drawing significant attention away from the games or the athletes as a boycott or similarly dramatic denunciation likely would have.

And although Vladimir Putin is facing much of the criticism, he is not the only world leader who should take note of Obama’s message.

While Russia’s apparently anti-LGBT attitudes have drawn significant attention in the weeks leading up to the games, it is important to note that Russia is not the only — nor even the worst — offender when it comes to human rights. Even as LGBT activism has made major gains in 2013, including the legalization of same-sex marriage in nine U.S. states and six countries, a global trend is impossible to pin down.

India, according to one estimate, recently doubled the global number of people who can be imprisoned for their sexuality when they re-instituted a ban on gay sex, according to a Jan. 28 article in The Atlantic. Nigerians who publicly advocate for or enter into a same-sex marriage can face years of imprisonment.

These cases, along with the politically charged environment in Russia, reflect the wildly inconsistent state of global LGBT acceptance.

This reality endows the Olympics as a global stage with the potential to serve as an invaluable platform for a worldwide issue.

With the attention of 85 participating countries on Russia these next two weeks, the political outcry about the country’s anti-LGBT attitudes falls on a wide and diverse set of ears. While censorship in individual nations will undoubtedly skew or deny coverage of gay rights activists, the issue of LGBT equality still claims a role on a global screen through the Olympics.

It is onto this global screen that Obama has asserted the U.S. Olympic delegation. The delegation advocates for an inclusive global community with their presence alone.

Boitano summarized the strong and subtle message of the U.S. delegation in a January interview with The New York Times: “I really feel we are making a giant statement by being there, getting off the plane and saying, ‘Look, we’re famous athletes from America, we’re successful, we’re gay and we’re here representing our country and our president.’”

Through his selection of the U.S. delegation, Obama has sent Russia and the global community a powerful, respectful and assertive message. Countries that are intolerant of their LGBT citizens should see this example and take note.

Nicki Gorny is a junior newspaper and online journalism and Spanish major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at nagorny@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @Nicki_Gorny. 

Published on February 11, 2014 at 2:08 am