Gay Olympics in Russia

Russia has made it illegal to present 'propaganda of gay matters to children.'  They might just as well pass a law against politicians making stupid laws as that wouldn't be observed any more than gay people will suddenly stop being gay simply because Moscow has decided it's illegal.

In any case, the vagueness of the law is such that a gay pride parade would be considered illegal as it's possible children might see it.  The law might not have received much attention outside of Russia except for the upcoming Olympic Games and now there is international outrage.

Various groups have called for different kinds of protests and there's even a demand for a boycott of the Games.  Apparently in this as in discussion of any variety of politics there is a very short memory in people.  Jimmy Carter's protest with a boycott of the Olympics by America was hopelessly ineffectual and served only to punish the athletes who would otherwise have participated.

An alternative to a boycott is to protest on Facebook or other social media but, as with anything else, this has had no effect in the past and it won't have any effect now.  Usually the strongest protest of an unjust law is to violate it.  This type of protest has risk but change rarely comes without risk.

What I suggest is an armband that represents support for gay people and Olympic athletes could wear it to the Games.  There is no overt propaganda in such a thing but it would be clear what it meant.  Where a boycott is embarrassing to the country initiating it, any reaction from Russia to the wearing of armbands would be an embarrassment to Russia instead.

Pink armbands represent support for breast cancer research and rainbow colors represent equal rights for people regardless of color but I don't know if any particular colors represent gay rights.  Inventing some colors and creating the armbands shouldn't be a formidable task.  Just as the black gloves of the athletes at the Olympic Games in Mexico City presented an unforgettable image, it's likely the same thing could be true of a gay rights armband at the Games in Sochi in Russia.

OK, so this problem is now solved.  Moving along to other things.