Higher, Faster, Stronger, Gayer

Ah, the spectacle of the Olympics. Every four years, the world's elite athletes converge on one of the great cities of our globe to compete. Or is that only two. I could swear that we just finished an Olympics. That was in London, right? All that pageantry doesn't seem so distant. It feels like it was just a couple of years ago. Because it was.
Twenty-two years ago, it was somebody's bright idea to alternate Olympic Games, Winter and Summer, dropping one or the other in every two years. Now, just as we are forgetting about London, and Vancouver in 2010, here comes Sochi. That's in Russia. You've probably heard something about those since there's this little matter of tolerance that became an issue when Vladimir "Putin On The Ritz" Putin decided to show his true colors, none of which can be found in the rainbow flag. "The Olympic Games will be held in full compliance with the Olympic charter, without any discrimination on any basis. Russia will be rooting for its own athletes of course, but we wish success to all the athletes," Putin said. Feel free to doubt the sincerity of his comments, considering his country's anti-gay laws. No less a world presence than corporate giant AT&T has spoken out against Russia's discriminatory practices. "We celebrate the diversity of all Olympic athletes, their fans, Russian residents and all the people the world over - including, and especially, our employees and their loved ones." A very nice sentiment, and one that almost feels redundant in the shadow of the Olympic Creed, "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."
I thought back to this year's Grammy telecast, the one they hold every year without differentiating between Winter and Summer, and how my son is growing up in a world where the sight of gay men and women expressing their love and getting married is still a kind of spectacle, but it is now becoming part of the awards season. In another two years, when the Olympics turn to summer and land in Rio de Janeiro, I'm guessing the vibe will be a little different than it is currently on the shores of the Black Sea. The nice thing about having only two years between Olypmpiads is that we can now see just how fast the world is changing. And that's a good thing.

We celebrate the diversity of all Olympic athletes

We celebrate the diversity of all Olympic athletes, their fans, Russian residents and all people the world over – including and, especially, our employees and their loved ones.  - See more at: http://blogs.att.net/consumerblog/story/a7793998#sthash.Rm3lDx40.dpuf

We celebrate the diversity of all Olympic athletes, their fans, Russian residents and all people the world over – including and, especially, our employees and their loved ones.  - See more at: http://blogs.att.net/consumerblog/story/a7793998#sthash.Rm3lDx40.dpuf

We celebrate the diversity of all Olympic athletes, their fans, Russian residents and all people the world over – including and, especially, our employees and their loved ones.  - See more at: http://blogs.att.net/consumerblog/story/a7793998#sthash.Rm3lDx40.dpu

We celebrate the diversity of all Olympic athletes, their fans, Russian residents and all people the world over – including and, especially, our employees and their loved ones.  - See more at: http://blogs.att.net/consumerblog/story/a7793998#sthash.Rm3lDx40.dpuf