Vancouver and soon London have both hosted a Pride House at the last two Olympic Games as a beacon for gay fans and athletes. A gay-rights group in Russia had hoped to host a similar locale in Sochi at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Last year they were banned from doing so by the Russian Ministry of Justice, and this week a judge has upheld the Ministry's decision. According to RIA Novosti:
The Sochi court said that Pride House's goals “undermine public morals and are at odds with national policy on the family, motherhood and children.” ...
Pride House, the Sochi court said, advocates a non-traditional sexual orientation that could spark social strife and lead to a decrease in the country’s already low birth rate, thereby “undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation.”
