TO DO: Russian Anti-LGBT Laws/Boycott Stoli
Source: Queer Nation
http://queernationny.org/
Why Boycott
Why boycott?
Will boycotting Stoli and other Russian vodkas make a difference? And is it right to boycott a gay-friendly company?
The “boycott” has already been hugely successful. Although we are unlikely to hurt Stoli financially in the short-term, they’re certainly afraid of the long-term affect of a black eye from gay activists — so much so that they are more or less paying Queerty and other LGBT sites to print their press releases, which are full of disinformation.
That makes us extremely powerful.
More importantly, the tactic has driven the discourse around Russia’s oppression of its LGBT community to another level entirely. People who had no idea there were problems in Russia now know. Those who knew are taking action. Those who were already taking action know that their ranks are swelling. And most importantly, our LGBT brothers and sisters in Russia know they are not alone, and that the US community has not forsaken them.
Stoli is lying about its corporate structure. But we always expected them to mount a counteroffensive. Of course they are a Russian company that manufactures Russian vodka: it says so several times on their label. They are at the very least profiting off of Russia’s “brand”: No one is going to buy Latvian vodka. But they can’t have it both ways: they can’t be Russian vodka and not be Russian.
The only “support” they’ve ever given our community is the money they’ve paid their gay marketing reps to convince gay bars to sell their vodka. And then they’ve supportively agreed to take our money. Thanks.
And even if they are just a well-meaning casualty in the war for equal rights, well, tough. Lots of South African businesses were hurt by our divestment campaign. Some were inspired to fight the apartheid government from the inside, if not on principle then to save their business. If Stoli does that, good for them.
If their PR department were smart, they would respond to the boycott by writing to Vladimir Putin to demand that Russia’s anti-gay laws not be enforced until they can be overturned, and then published that letter on their website, instead of their fluffy, feel-good graphics and all their internecine blather about how their company is structured.
And they should offer some real, visible to the LGBT community in Russia — that’s where they should be spending their money…. American gays have enough vodka.
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