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"The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics are almost here (Feb. 7 through Feb. 23) and I&amp;#39;m getting really excited. As a winter-sports fan (who hates the cold), there is nothing I love more than cheering on Team USA from the comfort of my couch.\nPinterestFacebookTwo-time Olympian Caitlin Cahow, who is openly gay, will represent the United States in Sochi.\nThat said, there are issues with this year&amp;#39;s Olympics, held in Sochi, a city on the Black Sea coast in Russia, that had many in the LGBTQ community&amp;#8212;and their allies (hi, that&amp;#39;s me)&amp;#8212;calling for a boycott. Specifically, Russia&amp;#39;s anti-gay law that prohibits &amp;quot;gay propaganda.&amp;quot; That term is very loosely defined, and could apply to something as simple as a couple showing affection. However, in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to put athletes&amp;#39; fears to rest by stating that there would be no discrimination against gay athletes or visitors during the Olympics.\nWhile this doesn&amp;#39;t change the law, I&amp;#39;m excited that the U.S. is sending a strong message that the Games are about inspiration and athleticism, *not *discrimination, by inviting several openly gay athletes to Sochi as part of the Olympic delegation. Two-time Olympian Caitlin Cahow (ice hockey), tennis legend Billie Jean King (she also coached the 1996 and 2000 gold-medal-winning women&amp;#39;s tennis teams), and 1988 gold medalist in figure skating Brian Boitano (who came out last week as part of the delegates announcement) are joining former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to represent the U.S. in Sochi.\nIn an open letter published in USA Today, Cahow put it very well, writing, &amp;quot;As a two-time U.S. Olympian, I had never kept my sexual orientation a secret, yet it was also something that I did not discuss publicly. My primary goals were to compete at the highest level and to bring honor to my country. There are many athletes like me around the world who, regardless of their self-identification, choose to remain silent on LGBT issues. Female athletes, in particular, tend to endure&amp;#8212;and too often facilitate&amp;#8212;an intense stereotyping, which I admittedly feared and ran from at various points during my playing career.&amp;quot;\nI give Cahow major credit for speaking out. What do you think? Does sending these ambassadors take a strong enough stance? Will you be watching the Olympics come February? Discuss in the comments!"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/story/the-us-is-sending-lgbtq-ambass>