As the 2014 Winter Olympic Games loom ever closer, CNN’s Phil Black went to Sochi and watched a drag show. Even though in June, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill banning “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations to minors,” apparently Sochi has a history of tolerance.
As Black reports, some consider Sochi to be famous for its gay culture.
During the Soviet Era, when being in a gay relationship was illegal, and international travel almost impossible, this sunny city by the Black Sea became the USSR’s favorite getaway for gay people. The only place where members of a secret community could really be themselves.
Cabaret Mayak is gay-friendly, Black reports, but all types flock there. So despite what may be going on in the rest of the country, it sounds like NBC correspondent Johnny Weir, the delegates selected by Obama and the other athletes and journalists in attendance will have a safe place to party outside the Olympic village. (The drag show looks awesome.)
