AT&T Tuesday put its endorsement behind the rights of gay athletes as the U.S. Olympic team heads to Sochi, Russia for the winter games.
In a blog on the company’s website, AT&T asked olympic athletes to take pride in America’s struggle for equality as they head to Sochi. It also cited a call from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) which has called on the International Olympic Committee sponsors to stand up for the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) athletes.
“AT&T is not an IOC sponsor, so we did not receive the HRC request. However, we are a long-standing sponsor of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), we support HRC’s principles and we stand against Russia’s anti-LGBT law,” AT&T wrote in the blog.
Russia has in a place a law that was signed by President Vladimir Putin in July that bans “pro-gay propaganda.”
The blog also references what AT&T calls “a long and proud history of support for the LGBT community in the United States and everywhere around the world where we do business.”
“We support LGBT equality globally and we condemn violence, discrimination and harassment targeted against LGBT individuals everywhere. Russia’s law is harmful to LGBT individuals and families, and it’s harmful to a diverse society,” AT&T declared.
In the blog, AT&T also promoted a U-S-A chants app called #ItsOurTime.