The BBC reports that 27 Nobel laureates have written an open letter to Putin about his disgusting law against “homosexual propaganda.”
Leading figures including novelist JM Coetzee signed the letter, devised by Sir Ian and chemist Sir Harry Kroto and given to The Independent.
I heard this story on the World Service last night, including Harry Kroto reading from the letter. That was exciting, because I’ve shared a dinner table with Harry Kroto. He was at CFI’s Moving Secularism Forward conference in Orlando two years ago – and gave a very exciting and thrilling talk.
Sir Harry Kroto said he had “enjoyed the tremendous friendship of Russian scientists” during numerous visits, but had seriously considered cancelling his next trip, an invitation which he had accepted before the issue arose.
“I have decided to go and, while in Russia, make my grave concerns clear at appropriate moments by pointing out that I shall not consider any further invitations unless this law is repealed or moves to repeal it are taken and in addition a serious effort is made by the Russian Government to ensure the safety of the Russian LGBT community,” said Sir Harry.
He’s a great guy, and a firebrand.
I Wish him luck but I doubt if the Pootin cares.
I’m glad that, in the case Russia at least, nobody is making excuses about Russian homophobia being ‘cultural’, or or religiously mandated, or a hangover of colonialism; and nobody is denouncing critics for ‘pinkwashing’ their own country or Israel.
Apart from (probably) the writers of Spiked (though I can’t be arsed checking).