AT&T Becomes First Major Advertiser to Protest Russia’s Antigay Law

AT&T has become the first major advertiser to come out against a measure outlawing “homosexual propaganda” that has led to protests aimed at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, as well as the first to urge “others involved with the Olympic Games” to do the same.

“We stand against Russia’s anti-L.G.B.T. law,” AT&T said, using shorthand for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. “Russia’s law is harmful to L.G.B.T. individuals and families, and it’s harmful to a diverse society.” While a notable first, it is not the milestone that protesters had sought. They have been targeting 10 giant sponsors of the International Olympic Committee to join them in condemning the law. Those sponsors, which pay for the rights to affiliate with the Olympics around the world, include Coca-Cola, General Electric, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, Samsung and Visa -- but not AT&T, which is a sponsor of the United States Olympic Committee.