LONDON – Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell is calling on the London organizing committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to ban anti-gay countries from the events this summer, reports PinkNews.co.uk.
Tatchell said: “The Olympic Charter prohibits all discrimination, and this includes homophobic discrimination. Any country that discriminates against women, ethnic or religious minorities, or lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) athletes should be disqualified from the 2012 Olympics.”
The Olympic Charter states: “Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic movement.”
Tatchell, director of the human rights organization the Peter Tatchell Foundation said, “Why aren’t homophobia, biphobia and transphobia being challenged by the Olympic authorities? It is wrong that in over 150 countries LGBT athletes are forced to hide their sexuality in order to get selected and compete.”
“The International Olympic Committee and London Olympic organizers should require all competing nations to sign a pledge that they do not discriminate on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. If they refuse to sign, they should be denied participation in the games.
“I appeal to Olympic chiefs, Jacques Rogge and Lord Coe, to make a public statement that LGBT athletes are welcome at London 2012 and that participating nations must not discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
