Several Vancouver bars serving the LGBT community have stopped serving vodka produced in Russia in response to anti-gay legislation in that country.
The Fountainhead Pub, The Cobalt, Oasis, Celebrities, Score and the Pumpjack have all said they will stop pouring brands such as Stoli and Russian Standard as part of a growing uproar against anti-gay laws in Russia ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
The idea started with a blog post earlier this week by popular American sex advice writer and LGBT activist Dan Savage. He called on LGBT establishments and their allies to “dump Stoli and dump Russian vodka.”
The hashtags #dumpstoli and #dumprussianvodka were trending on twitter.
Drew Watling, General Manager of the Fountainhead Pub on Davie Street, says he got the idea for the Russian vodka ban after seeing posts on Facebook about the situation in Russia.
“It made my stomach turn,” says Watling of the events in Russia. “I was wondering what I could do to help.”
“I thought the pub needed to take a stand and get the information about there about what’s happening.”
“We want people to ask, ‘why are they taking the vodka off the shelf?’ to increase awareness.”
Watling says he also sent an e-mail to other bars in the community to ask them to consider pulling Russian-produced vodkas like Stoli and Russian Standard as well.
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He says instead of Russian vodkas they are pouring Absolut and Belvedere.
The CEO of Stolichnaya ‘Stoli’ Vodka said in an open letter Thursday that the company “firmly opposed such attitudes and actions” as those in Russia.
Val Mendeleev said that “as a company that encourages transparency and fairness, we are upset and angry. Stolichnaya Vodka has always been, and continues to be a fervent supporter and friend to the LGBT community.”
Russia is making news six months ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi; not for the highly anticipated games; but for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s anti-gay crackdown.
The New York Times reports that Putin signed a law banning the adoption of Russian-born children to gay couples, and also to any couple or parent living in any country where same sex marriage exists.
Putin also signed a law allowing police officers to arrest tourists and foreign nationals they suspect of being homosexual, lesbian or “pro-gay,” and detain them for up to 14 days.
The Russian President has also signed a vague law deeming ‘homosexual propaganda’ pornography, and is expected to sign a law that will allow police to remove children from their homes if their parents are suspected of being gay or lesbian.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson issued a statement Friday, saying he is alarmed to learn about the anti-gay laws and violence against LGBT people in Russia.
“It is clear to me that the Russian parliament’s homophobic assault on the fundamental human rights of the LGBTQ community will prevent many of these individuals from safely and openly participating in Sochi,” said Robertson in a statement.
Robertson says Vancouver was the first city to host a ‘Pride House’ at the Olympics and says he is sad to see this “important progress rolled back ahead of the next Olympics in Sochi.”
He is calling on the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees to ensure safe and full participation by LGBT people.
Vancouver’s Pride celebrations are set for next week, culminating in the parade next Sunday. The parade attracts upwards of 700,000 spectators to Vancouver’s West End.
This is also the first year Vancouver’s Pride parade has been granted civic parade status, which waives about $50,000 worth of civic fees for organizers.
The Winter Olympics in Sochi begin on February 7, 2014.
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