Russian LGBT organizations: ‘Russian LGBT Network’, ‘Coming Out’, Side by Side Film Festival, Russian LGBT Sport Federation, ‘Rakurs, and ‘Out Loud’ project invite you to speak up in support of equality and respect of human dignity for LGBTI people in Russia and post the special Olympic Equality avatar as your profile picture on Facebook and Twitter.

Barack Obama as well as David Cameron have already publicly committed to raise concerns with President Putin about Russia’s record on LGBTI rights, and Obama has agreed to meet with local Russian activists on Thursday or Friday.

In contrast to some international campaigns which have been launched in the wake of the passing of Russia’s controversial ‘homosexual propaganda’ law

Read this week’s statement from the Russian LGBT Network regarding a potential boycott of the Winter Olympics and Paralympics due to be held in Stochi, February 7 – 20, 2014. The statement, ‘Winter Olympics, Let’s Speak Up, Not Walk Out

Though, as in many cities and states (and now federally), a bill banning the promotion of ‘homosexual propaganda’ was already in force in Saint Petersburg (in February 2012), activists were given permission to publicly mark IDAHO 2013. Opposition groups broke through police lines, however