Out snowboarder Cheryl Maas raises the rainbow glove to Sochi

Since gay propaganda (read: saying anything nice about LGBT people in public) is illegal in Russia, many athletes are apparently using their wardrobes to get in some sly, passive-aggressive protesting. Between Greece’s rainbow gloves and Germany’s rainbow uniforms, we can assume one of two things:

  1. Other countries are using coded signals in their dress to signify their solidarity with Russian gays, or
  2. Oh god, someone actually thought rainbow uniforms were aesthetically pleasing.

So yeah, Occam’s razor dictates that option one is probably right.

According to The Huffington Post, out snowboarder Cheryl Maas may have taken the rainbow clothing and used it for some incognito protesting.

In the video below (right around the 2:00 mark), Maas raises her glove up to the camera to show off the rainbows. And also the unicorns. Rather innocuous, but news sources are already running with the idea that Maas was using it to quietly voice her opinion.

Is there a chance she was just trying to give the thumbs up to the camera? Yes, absolutely. For all we know, the media could be reading into this a bit too heavily, but to be fair, we’re all waiting for someone to step up and speak out against Putin. Until someone comes right out against him, we probably can’t fault anyone too hard for holding out hope.

Keep Reading

Joan Chen being kissed on the cheek by a woman

Joan Chen is ‘attracted’ to queer stories

The legendary actress tells Xtra about “Saving Face,” “Montreal, My Beautiful”—and the life lessons that came in between
Athena Dion with an up arrow behind her; Myki Meeks with a down arrow behind her

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 18, Episode 6 power ranking: Rate-a-Queen’s conclusion

Another queen secures her first maxi-challenge win, while two duke it out in the Lip Sync for Your Life
Athena Dion

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 18, Episode 6 recap: Mother knows best

Athena Dion’s strategic savvy pays off for her in a big way
Mia Starr with an up arrow behind her; Vita Vontesse Star with a down arrow behind her

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 18, Episode 5 power ranking: The first heat

We’re at the intermission of the talent show—how did the first six queens fare?