YouSpeak: Are You Planning to Watch the Winter Olympics?
Will Putin’s antigay laws make people less likely to tune in?
All eyes will be on Russia this week when the country hosts the Winter Olympics in Sochi. It’s the first time Russia has hosted an Olympics, and landing the Winter Games is a personal triumph for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two-and-a-half-week games are expected to draw a global television audience of more than three billion.
But the Sochi games are controversial. Russia’s new antigay legislation, which prohibits the spreading of “gay propaganda” among those 18 and younger—and which critics say has been used to incite a wave of homophobic attacks across Russia in recent months—has led to demonstrations across the globe, many with protesters calling for a boycott of the Olympics.
This week’s “YouSpeak” asks, “Will you watch the Winter Olympics despite Russia’s antigay laws?”
“YouSpeak” typically appears each Monday. If you have a suggestion for a topic, leave it in the Comment section below.
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