普京：不在乎性取向 與同性戀者交好
President Vladimir Putin has defended Russia's law on "gay propaganda" ahead of the Sochi Olympics but insisted he was not prejudiced against homosexuals.
Gay people faced no discrimination at work or in society in Russia, he told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, and the new law did not harm anybody.
"I myself know some people who are gay," he said. "We're on friendly terms. I'm not prejudiced in any way."
Gay rights campaigners have urged a boycott of the winter games.
The controversial legislation passed in June prescribes fines for anyone providing information about paedophilia and homosexuality to people under 18.
If you want my personal attitude, I would tell you that I don't care about a person's sexual orientation”
Vladimir PutinRussian president
Critics say the amendment's loose wording, and its free interpretation by the authorities, effectively make any kind of public gay rights event in Russia impossible.
Some national leaders have indicated they will not attend the games, which run from 7 to 23 February.
US President Barack Obama pointedly announced he was sending an Olympic delegation that includes several openly gay sports figures, among them tennis legend Billie Jean King.
Gay people honoured
"If you want my personal attitude, I would tell you that I don't care about a person's sexual orientation," Mr Putin told Andrew Marr in Sochi.
Famous gay people like the British singer Elton John were popular in Russia, he said.
"I've honoured several members of the gay community in this country but for their personal achievements, regardless of their sexual orientation," he added.
Mr Putin also pointed out that many other countries banned homosexual relations.
"There's no danger for individuals of this non-traditional sexual orientation who are planning to come to the games as visitors or participants," he said.
Hate crimes
Human rights campaigners have noted an alarming rise in hate attacks on gay people in Russia in recent years while reporting of homosexuality in the state media has been largely hostile or negative.
Critics of the Kremlin accuse it of scapegoating gay people as a way of cementing Mr Putin's hold on power since his re-election in 2012 amid mass anti-government protests.
Nonetheless, one openly gay US athlete who is a self-confessed Russophile, Johnny Weir, told Reuters news agency this week he could not support the Sochi boycott calls.
The figure skater, who had hoped to compete himself but is recovering from injury, argued that an issue which affects a minority group should not ruin a "lifetime of sacrifices" made by thousands of athletes.
"I've come under so much hate and scrutiny from within my own LGBT community for my views on the Olympics," the former Olympian said.
"But as somebody who watched my parents sacrifice everything so that I had at least one chance of making the Olympics, I could never boycott the Olympics whether they be in Pyongyang, in Uganda, in Iran or Mars."
Meanwhile, in the south Russian city of Voronezh, security guards detained a gay rights protester for unfurling a rainbow flag during the Olympic torch relay on Saturday.
"Hosting the games here contradicts the basic principles of the Olympics, which is to cultivate tolerance," Mr Lebedev said.英國廣播公司（BBC）1月19日報道，冬奧會之前，俄羅斯總統普京爲《禁止宣傳同性戀法》辯護，堅稱自己對同性戀沒有任何偏見。
普京對BBC記者說，同性戀者在俄羅斯不會在工作中和社會上受到歧視，新頒佈的法律不會對任何人造成傷害。
“如果你想知道我的個人態度，我對一個人的性取向並不介意，”普京對在索契採訪的BBC記者說。
他說，例如英國歌手艾爾頓•約翰在內的一些著名的同性戀者在俄羅斯也很受歡迎。
“我自己認識一些同性戀者，”他說，“我們關係很好，無論如何我都不會對他們有偏見。”
他補充說，“我表彰過幾位俄羅斯的同性戀者，但表彰他們並不是因爲他們的性取向，而是因爲他們所取得的成就。”
“如果非傳統性取向的運動員和遊客計劃來到俄羅斯參與冬奧會的，將不會有任何危險，”他說道。普京也指出，許多國家禁止同性戀關係。
但同性戀權利活動人士要求抵制這次冬奧會。2013年6月，俄羅斯通過的《禁止宣傳同性戀法》引起爭議，該法律要求對向18歲以下未成年人傳播戀童癖和同性戀信息的行爲進行罰款處理。
批評者稱，這部法律措辭模糊，當局對它隨意解釋能夠有效禁止任何爭取同性戀權利的公開活動。
一位瑞典記者說：“這一法律通過的原因就包括，在俄羅斯，同性戀人羣和同性戀權利活動人士都被列爲國家安全威脅者，而俄羅斯大部分民衆都是東正教信徒，他們也認同這一觀念，因此普京想取悅這些人，得到他們的擁護和支持。”
一些國家領導人暗示不會參加2月7日到23日的索契冬奧會。美國總統奧巴馬直截了當地宣佈美國參加冬奧會的代表團包括數位同性戀者，包括網球傳奇球星比利•簡•金。
然而，自稱親俄的美國運動員約翰•威爾是一位公開的同性戀者，他近日對路透社記者說，他不會響應抵制索契冬奧會的號召。
這位花樣滑冰運動員辯解稱，影響少部分人的事件不能以犧牲成千上萬運動員一輩子的努力作爲代價。
這位前奧運會選手說，“因爲我對奧運會的觀點，我在自己的LGBT（同性戀、雙性戀及變性者）圈子中也受到仇視和監視。”
“有人幫我照看着我的父母，因此我至少有一次機會能夠參加奧運會。不管奧運會是在平壤、烏干達、伊朗還是火星上舉辦，我永遠都不會抵制奧運會。”
