When the International Olympic Committee voted to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China, the entire Olympic gave a collective middle finger to LGBT people. Just months after claiming to include protections for gay people in its vaunted Principle 6, the IOC selected a nation with a bad track record on LGBT rights and one of the worst offenders of human rights in general in the world.
What might be worse is that the final vote tally of 44-40 put the country of Kazakhstan just three swing votes away from being named the host nation – and Kazakhstan is actually worse on LGBT issues than China! Kazakhstan is a former Soviet Republic that is following Russia on a path away from equality for LGBT people.
A few months ago, many were claiming victory that sexual orientation was included in the IOC's Principle 6. Bwahahaha. I said then it was a joke, and the vote last week proved it. There is no consideration for LGBT and human rights when selecting a host nation. As I said then, money talks. Period.
