Vancouver councillor off to Sochi to stand up for gay rights
Posted January 28, 2014 7:53 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – There are now just 10 days left until the Olympic games kick off in Sochi, Russia; a Vancouver city councillor is on his way there to stand up for the rights of those in the LGBTQ community.
Tim Stevenson says he hasn’t really been concerned about safety, “but every single person now for the last week has been [saying] ‘be safe, be safe.'”
“You start to get a bit jittery because everyone says you need to be safe. I’m much more aware of that than I was before,” he explains.
“Obviously, I’m going to be cautious and have my wits about me and hopefully the security in Sochi is such that there won’t be any problems for anybody.”
Stevenson will be speaking with the International Olympic Committee about changing the charter to include sexual orientation. He also hopes it will become mandatory for every city to include a Pride House in their bid for any Olympics.
He says it’s inappropriate not to have one, as Russia is choosing to do, because gay athletes and their supporters need a safe house.
Stevenson has meetings planned with Sochi’s mayor along with some other civic and federal politicians. “I’m excited and a little apprehensive; a little of both.”
