Paris Olympics vows to carry the torch for LGBTQ rights after watershed of Tokyo
By JOHN LEICESTER
Associated Press
PARIS (AP) — Organizers of the 2024 Paris Games intend to seize on the Olympic spotlight to push a message that LGBTQ rights need to progress outside France. The French capital set out plans for a Pride House that will celebrate LGBTQ people during the Olympics and Paralympics. Organizers pledged that Olympians and campaigners will be given “plenty of opportunities” to speak for LGBTQ rights. That’s not always been the case. LGBTQ activists who waved rainbow flags in Moscow’s Red Square and protested in St. Petersburg were arrested during the 2014 Winter Games in Russia. This week also saw the closure of a safe space for the LGBTQ community in Beijing. The Chinese capital hosted the last Olympics in 2022.