Dive Summary:
- Anti-LGBT legislation and violence in Russia has led activists to call for boycotts of the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games and products made in Russia, including Stolichnaya Vodka.
- Following the product's boycott by prominent Chicago gay bar Sidetrack, Stoli Vodka CEO Val Mendeleev issued an open letter stating the company's opposition to anti-LGBT actions and highlighting its past sponsorship of major events in the community, such as Miami Gay Pride.
- The activist group Queer Nation issued a press release today, responding that "marketing will not save LGBT lives."
From the article:
... Other gay bars have since followed suit with the boycott, including San Francisco bars Hi Tops and Moby Dick Bar, Vancouver's Fountainhead and Celebrities, and British gay clubs associated with G-A-Y group. As of Friday, Stoli Vodka is still set to hold an LGBT event in New York this Tuesday, July 30, presented by GayCities and titled "The Most Original Stoli Guy."