Putin: Gays in Sochi will be comfortable

The Russian authorities will do everything so that the guests of the Sochi Olympics feel comfortable "regardless of national, racial affiliation or sexual orientation." According to RIA Novosti, such a statement was made by President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with representatives of the Federation of Winter Sports. The event was also attended by the head of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach.

In early September , Putin rejected the charges of homophobia expressed against him. “I assure you that I work with such people, I sometimes reward them with state medals and orders for their achievements in certain areas. We have absolutely normal relations, and I don’t see anything special here,” he said in an interview with the Associated Press. “There is no need to do nothing terrible here in our country and terrible. does not happen. "

The head of state added that he was ready to meet with representatives of the LGBT community, but he still has not received such proposals.

On the same day, the leader of the Moscow Gay Praise Nikolai Alekseev turned to Putin with a request for a meeting "to discuss the situation around LGBT in Russia and the world." To this, a spokesman for the head of state Dmitry Peskov noted that Putin would consider the possibility of meeting with Alekseev, but it would hardly be urgently held, since Alekseev did not substantiate the need for an urgent meeting.