Originally Posted by
meFIRST
I am gay and a frequent visitor to Russia. I consider it my "adopted homeland" and have many friends and business contacts there.
I am on the fence about going. Not because of the recent laws (well, its Russia) but because its going to be f-ing cold. I've been in Moscow before in February and, its seriously cold. -30C / -22F , with windchill, its even colder ( Sorry I can't handle). For what its worth, Sochi is more temperate. Many people question why Sochi was picked for this reason.
A plus for me wanting to go : Many people will be boycotting the games so crowds are bound to be low. Hotel rates are bound to be attractive. There is a Hyatt that is allegedly due to open in time, but as of yet they are not yet taking reservations. Also, I should note that the Russian Federation spent $56 Billion US dollars on this, I'm curious to see where this money went to.
(double what the Canadian's spent?)
BTW - reports of Gay people getting arrested upon entry are totally false.
Russia is very much misunderstood, often by people who have never even set foot there/don't know what they are talking about.
OP : I retired from FT for various reasons, and rarely post. I also choose not to participate in FT events "officially" . If this is an FT event, and non FT-ers are welcome, please PM. Otherwise, godspeed...
Many thanks for your perspective
meFIRST. I'm sure I'm not the only one who admires your honesty in coming out of retirement to divulge what is quite likely to be a somewhat controversial but nonetheless quite brave perspective on what is happening in Russia at the moment. I have very mixed feelings on the Sochi Olympics, as I have always wanted to attend an Olympics--any Olympics--but yet feel that I might be doing very close friends and family who happen to be gay a disservice if I support the Russian Olympic effort. That said, this is a fantastic opportunity from an affordability standpoint, and ultimately, the hand-wringing is for me to figure out.
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After all of that, however--and sadly--my work is quite likely to need me in Singapore that week, so I can no longer commit to this (this is a fairly new development, and since I have already booked my travel to Sochi, I have lost some money on the airfare). However, I will keep an eye on the thread, and if anything at all changes, I will let you know. Nonetheless, I think a Sochi Olympics DO would be wonderful, and if a FlyerTalk delegation that is same-sex couple-friendly can go...well, all the better, I guess (sorry if this gets into Omni PR territory, as it is not my intention). Frankly, it's all about the experience, and any do-gooding will likely be a simple side effect of our presence in Sochi.