With the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics in Sochi less than two weeks away, the mayor of the Russian city told the BBC no gay people live there.
Anatoly Pakhomov said gay people would not have to hide their sexuality while in Sochi but added that “it’s not accepted here in the Caucasus where we live. We do not have them in our city.”
Opposition leader Boris Nemtsov and drag queen Madame Zhu-Zha both told the BBC that there are many gay clubs in Sochi.
Last year Russian president Vladimir Putin signed into law a ban against the promotion of “nontraditional sexual relations” to children, a measure he described as “a ban on propaganda of homosexuality and pedophilia.” After international criticism of the law, Russian authorities put limits on the right to protest during the Games.
The Games officially begin Feb. 7 and run through Feb. 23.
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