I'm scratching my head as to why Online Opinion published this shoddy piece of writing.

It is fair enough to make the point that other countries aren't perfect on gay rights. But it is ridiculous to compare a country like Australia that is moving forward on gay rights (albeit too slowly) with a country that is actively and deliberately going backwards.

The link relating to Australian "gay panic defence": (a) is actually about Australian states removing this law from the statute books and says that the three states that have not yet done so are seen as "lagging behind"; (b) does not mention the federal government, despite the author claiming that the federal government supports the law; and (c) states that Stephen Fry signed a petition to abolish the gay panic defence - yet the author blithely says "it is more likely that Fry doesn't know about the disgusting ... law".

Opinion piece authors have a basic responsibility to read their own source material and to try to present it accurately. Failing to do so simply undermines their arguments and makes them look foolish. Online Opinion should not be wasting its readers' time with such rubbish.

One should not criticise Stephen Fry for running a campaign against Russia which is an inveterate enemy of human rights. Suggesting as the author does that its laws make it as welcoming a venue for visiting homosexual athletes as Australia or Britain denies actual on-the-ground experience. It's like pointing to the lack of racial discrimination in American law after 1865 as reflecting reality while Jim Crow ruled the land for well over a century thereafter and still lurks in Reb-land. However despite the moral case for the Russia boycott the tactical reasons that Mr Sullivan gives against it are compelling.

wow fancy the Russians showing more integrity than the West on this one. They are smart enough to know that the homosexual lobbies tactics in brainwashing kids leads only to destruction.

You are an arrogant person Rach! Just because you don't like what the writer write, it doesn't mean he hasn't the right to write it? After all isn't Oz supposed to be a free country? I'm from eastern European country originaly and that's the sort of thing they used to do at home and worse! I don't like you at all, you're very smug and nasty arrogant person! Go away please!

Runner, because of this Russian law gay people are being bashed, brutalised and murdered.
Your "god" will not forgive you, for your callous indifference to the suffering of others.

Kipp - I know that in Australia "poofter bashing" (that is the term used when they go out to do it) is still happening, we have laws against homosexuality so does that make us in some way as bad as Russia.

Besides who is to say who is right, just because some countries believe in gay marriage or other sensitive issues does not mean those countries against it are wrong.

Must admit I did not read the article, just come in on your comment.