Tuesday 9 December 2014

All Out: Urgent Olympic vote - we won!

8.12.2014
We did it! The International Olympic Committee (IOC) just took the final step to protect all lesbian, bi and gay athletes and fans. Today they announced that they will be changing Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter to include 'sexual orientation.' And it happened because of you.
This is huge. We've been pressuring the IOC to protect lesbian, bi and gay athletes ever since we found out about Russia's awful anti-gay law leading up to the Sochi Olympics. And because we came together, we won:
  • In August last year, more than 50 of us delivered the biggest petition ever received by the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne with over 300,000 signatures.
  • A few months later, more than 80,000 of us directly emailed IOC President Thomas Bach. The IOC publicly stated for the first time ever that discrimination based on sexual orientation is against Olympic values.
  • In February 2014, more than 40,000 of us submitted requests to the IOC to change the rules so that the Games can't be held in countries where laws can harm gay, lesbian, bi and trans people.
  • In September this year, we had another big win. The IOC announced that future host cities will be legally bound to respect the anti-discrimination principle of the Olympic Charter, Principle 6.
We kept the pressure up, so we made huge progress over the last year and a half. We teamed up with brave activists in Russia, and collaborated with partners like Athlete Ally and Human Rights Watch to run the smartest, biggest campaign possible. We didn't let up even after the Olympics in Sochi were over. This is the power of All Out: by coming together and keeping up pressure, we can make sure love wins.
But there's more work to do. The IOC didn't discuss including 'gender identity' – so trans fans and athletes are still at risk of discrimination during the Olympics. We need to keep the pressure on the IOC and other international bodies to make sure NO ONE has to suffer for who they are or who they love.
Thank you for everything you do,
Andre, Jeremy and the rest of the All Out team


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Historic Olympic vote on Monday! Sign to protect lesbian, gay, bi and trans people in the Olympic Charter.
SIGN
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Monday could be MASSIVE for equality in sport. On December 8, the organisers of the Olympics are having a big meeting in Monaco. They're voting to decide if protecting lesbian, gay, bi and trans people should be explicit in the Olympic Charter.
We have to make sure the vote goes the right way. We know the Olympic organisers are sensitive to pressure from All Out members. In the past months, our petitions, emails, protests and media coverage have put this historic move on the table – and we're almost there.
Just before the vote, let's join with our partner Athlete Ally and Olympic athletes around the world to show them that thousands of us are STILL watching. Sign this petition to call for the Olympic Charter to provide protection for all athletes, fans and spectators, no matter who we are, or who we love:
go.allout.org/en/a/olympic-charter
The Olympic rulebook already has a principle of non-discrimination. But because it doesn't include 'sexual orientation' it doesn't actually spell out that this protection also applies to gay, bi, and lesbian people. Getting this written into the official rules will show that the Olympics recognise lesbian, gay, and bi athletes, fans and spectators.
But we want take this one step further. By including not just 'sexual orientation' but also 'gender identity', we can make sure trans people are also protected. Trans people face danger and terrible inequality all over the world. Getting recognition from the biggest sporting body in the world could be a huge step towards trans rights everywhere.
Can you help make sure the Olympics take care of transgender athletes, fans and spectators too? Click here to sign now:
go.allout.org/en/a/olympic-charter
Before All Out members weighed in, no one was talking about the Olympics standing up for lesbian, gay, bi, and trans rights. But when hundreds of thousands of us came together to protest Russia's anti-gay laws at the time of the Sochi Winter Olympics, the world took notice. We were mentioned in over 13,000 articles and our #LoveAlwaysWins video got 1.5 million views. We got major world leaders to speak out. 50 Olympic athletes joined the campaign and demanded an end to anti-gay Olympics. We even got three Olympic sponsors to condemn Russia's anti-gay laws. Many All Out members organized their first ever protest and hundred of us hit the streets in more than 50 countries.
Then 70,000 of us asked the Olympic organisers to change the rules so that the Games can't be held in countries which abuse human rights. And they agreed!Now our fight is to get protection for everyone to be officially written into the Olympic Charter, no matter who we are, or who we love.
Thanks for going All Out,
Andre, Guillaume, Oscar, Rose and the rest of the All Out team.
P.S. Do you remember that 50 All Out members delivered 300,000 signatures to the Olympic organisers in August 2013? And they listened! They said that sexual orientation is covered by the Olympic rulebook. Now we need a final push to get that written into stone – and to make sure that trans people are protected as well. Sign now! go.allout.org/en/a/olympic-charter
P.P.S. Notice something different? All Out has launched a brand new website. You can see it here and discover new features, find fresh ways to get involved and take action. As our movement grows and becomes more powerful, we want our online presence to match our amazing work. With our new online home, members like you can better understand how we work as an organization and find the stories that matter to you.

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All Out is mobilising millions of people to build a world where no person will have to sacrifice their family or freedom, safety or dignity, because of who they are or who they love.
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