Sochi Mayor: My City of 343,000 Has 0 Gays

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Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov poses with an Olympic count-down clock in Sochi on Jan. 31, 2013.

Image: Igor Yakunin/Associated Press

By Sam Laird2014-01-27 13:08:19 -0500

Add one more entry to the growing list of tensions over gay rights at Sochi for this year's Winter Olympics.

Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov told the BBC that his town of 343,000, which will host the Games beginning Feb. 7, does not have a single gay resident.

See also: Putin: Gays Welcome at Olympics if They 'Leave Kids Alone'

"We do not have them in our city," Pakhomov told the BBC.

The mayor had reportedly been asked whether gay athletes and Olympics fans in Sochi would have to hide their sexuality during the Games because of Russia's restrictive laws on publicly acknowledging homesexuality. Here's Pakhomov's full quote, according to the BBC: "No, we just say that it is your business, it's your life. But it's not accepted here in the Caucasus where we live. We do not have them in our city."

The interview was conducted by BBC Panorama reporter John Sweeney, who says he visited a gay bar in Sochi the night before speaking with Pakhomov.

When pressed on the assertion that his city of more than 300,000 people does not have a single gay citizen, Pakhomov reportedly hedged his bets a bit and said, "I am not sure, but I don't bloody know them."

Russia's harsh anti-homosexuality legislation has become increasingly relevant and controversial in recent months as athletes and sports fans — many of them gay — prepare to descend upon Sochi for the Games.

A Russian law passed last year banned "propaganda of nontraditional sexual practices" to children and teenagers. While not an explicit ban on homosexuality, it essentially outlaws public discussion of gay life or gay rights in schools and media, as well as public events such as gay rights parades. Critics say it creates an inhumane living environment for gays in Russia, with some arguing that it even encourages a culture permitting physical violence against gays.

Russian president Vladimir Putin drew criticism earlier this month when he said at a meeting with Olympics volunteers that gay people were welcome to attend the Games in Sochi — as long as they "leave kids alone."

Pakhomov is a member of Putin's United Russia party.

Despite the restrictive climate for gay people in Russia, some see the Games as an opportunity to expose the plight of homosexual Russians and catalyze change in the country. The U.S.-based It Gets Better Project, for example, is spearheading a powerful global online campaign to send gay Russian youth messages of support from around the world.

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Topics: olympics, Sports, US & World, World