Johnny Weir said he’s willing to be arrested to make people pay attention to Russian anti-gay laws
Figure skater Johnny Weir is gay, married to a man of Russian descent, and hoping to skate for the U.S. in Sochi. Russia's anti-gay laws hit him close to home. Weir knows if he makes the U.S. team, he will be in danger of being arrested when he competes in Sochi.
This doesn't deter him from wanting to make his third Olympics. Weir said if he is arrested for the better treatment of the LGBT community in Russia, "so be it."
"If it takes me getting arrested for people to pay attention, and for people to lobby against this law, then I'm willing to take it," he said to CBS, adding: "Like anyone, I'm scared to be arrested. But I'm also not afraid of being arrested."
The laws passed in Russia bar discussion of gay rights and relationships anywhere children might hear. This means Weir couldn't discuss, much less appear with, his own husband in public. He said he won't make any public display of affection or wear a rainbow pin.
Russian officials have been vague on whether these laws will be in effect in Sochi during the Olympics. While some leaders in the gay community have called for a boycott -- or the preposterous idea of moving the Olympics six months before they are to start -- Weir has joined other LGBT sports leaders in rejecting this idea.
Weir is not guaranteed a spot on the U.S. team. There are only two spots available for men, and he hasn't skated in a competition since he took fourth at the Finlandia Trophy competition in October. A hip injury forced him to withdraw from other grand prix events and the U.S. championships. The U.S. 2014 Olympic team will be decided in January.