Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
When the Supreme Court struck down DOMA and California's Prop 8, LGBT people in the US scored a victory for gay rights, but activists are now taking the fight to Russia.
Gay pride events there have been scarred with violence and last month the country passed a law where tourists or foreigners could be arrested for being perceived as gay or "pro-gay."
In response, gay columnist Dan Savage called for a nation-wide boycott of Stoli and other Russian vodkas. This weekend several bars in West Hollywood got into the act.
RELATED: Gay bars in West Hollywood boycott Russian vodka over anti-gay laws
Even though Stoli is a business, not a government that can enact policy, WeHo councilman John Duran told us why he supported the move by his city's businesses.
"I mean I think that a boycott has two primary reasons, one of which is to target and protest where injustice is occurring, but also to raise public awareness."
For look at how well boycotts work, and the economic power of LGBT people in the US, we're joined by Lee Badgett. professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and research director at UCLA's Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy.
Stoli Responds To The Attempted Boycott Of Russian Vodka