Johnny Weir Willing To Be Arrested To Draw Global Attention To Russia

Following the first reports of an alleged boycott against the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, Johnny Weir was one of the first openly gay athletes to oppose the idea. He asked fans to do the same in support of the athletes competing.

There’s been much confusion regarding the new “gay propaganda” laws and whether they would apply to tourists and athletes at the Games, but this week, Russian officials made their stance on the situation crystal clear: They plan to arrest anyone promoting “gay propaganda,” including tourists and athletes.

To boot, the IOC announced shortly after that any athlete using the Olympic venue for “proactive political or religious demonstration” would be disqualified.

None of this seems to faze Weir, who told CBS News again this week that if he qualifies for the 2014 Games (he will, duh), he still plans to compete. “Like anyone, I’m afraid of being arrested,” he said. “But also I’m not afraid of being arrested.”

CBS also notes that Weir’s husband is Russian-American, and both speak the language fluently. When asked if they’d be making a big gay fuss in Sochi, Weir said “I don’t need to kiss my husband after I’ve competed a great performance. I’ll kiss him when I get to the hotel.”

“Would the Olympics be in Saudi Arabia, in Palestine, in Pyongyang, North Korea, or on Mars, I would go because that’s what I’ve trained to do and that’s what I’ve devoted my life to,” he said.

He also hopes that his outward flamboyancy will help rally opposition against the new laws. “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.”