I received this from All Out:
Coca-Cola bosses are deciding if they should speak out against Russia's anti-gay laws. As a major sponsor of the Olympics, Coca-Cola is under growing pressure.
They're expected to give their answer next week. Coca-Cola could claim Russia's anti-gay laws have nothing to do with them. But if thousands of us send them emails, they could see this is a growing threat to Coca-Cola's fun, friendly image and finally speak out.
Coca-Cola's spending millions on the games in Sochi, so President Putin won't be able to ignore them if they come out against the anti-gay law. Can you send a quick email now to Coca-Cola boss, Muthar Kent, asking Coca-Cola to speak out?
www.allout.org/coca-colaOther Olympic sponsors, including McDonalds and Samsung, are waiting to hear what Coke says.
If Coca-Cola does the right thing, other Olympic sponsors could follow in a domino effect.Beyond the Olympics, Coca-Cola is a huge investor in Russia so it has a lot of economic power in the country. And if Coca-Cola speaks out, it will massively up the pressure on the Olympics Committee to take a stronger position too.
It could all add up to irresistible pressure on the Russian government to repeal the laws before the Olympics.Coca-Cola likes to shout about its reputation as a gay-friendly company. That means they'll be sensitive to thousands of emails from us, raising the threat of a crisis for their reputation if they don't speak out.
Click here to send an email to Coca-Cola:www.allout.org/coca-colaAll Out members are getting results. Most recently, 79,500 of us sent emails to the Olympic Committee. They replied – saying for the first time that lesbian, gay, bi and trans people are included in anti-discrimination Olympic Principle 6.
Together, we got the UK Prime Minister to raise the anti-gay laws with President Putin face-to-face, after we protested in 34 cities across the world. And nearly 400,000 of us have signed the petition – wow.
All Out members are busy elsewhere too – petitioning Cameroon's President Biya to end violence and asking Australia to stop sending refugees to a country where it's illegal to be gay.
Right now, Coca-Cola needs to call for an end to Russia's anti-gay laws. Send an email:
www.allout.org/coca-colaThanks for going All Out,
Andre, Guillaume, Hayley, Jeremy, Leandro, Marie, Sara, Tile, Wesley and the rest of the All Out team.
PS: If Coca-Cola calls for an end to the anti-gay laws, it'll be huge. But there's more they could do: give money to Russian organisations fighting the laws, and pressure the Olympic Committee to get tough with Russia too. Let's ask them – send an email:
www.allout.org/coca-cola SOURCES:
Russian gay law raises alarm among Olympic sponsors - Reuters, 8 September 2013
www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/08/us-olympics-sochi-gay-idUSBRE9870ER20130908Rights at Stake in Olympic Leadership Race - Human Rights Watch, 13 August 2013
www.hrw.org/news/2013/08/13/rights-stake-olympic-leadership-raceCoke sets sights on Russia - Sports Business Daily, 9 September 2013
www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2013/09/02/Global-Special-Issue/Coke-Olympics.aspxAs Inclusive as Our Brands: Coke Again Earns Perfect Rating in HRC's Corporate Equality Index - Coca-Cola website
www.coca-colacompany.com/press-center/company-articles/as-inclusive-as-our-brands-coke-again-earns-perfect-rating-in-hrcs-corporate-equality-indexCoke's Olympics backlash: the rising bar for corporate action - The Guardian, 17 September 2013
www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/coke-olympics-gay-rights
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Coca-Cola bosses are meeting to decide if they should speak out against Russia's anti-gay laws. As a major sponsor of the Olympics, Coke has been under growing pressure for months.
Coca-Cola could claim Russia's anti-gay laws have nothing to do with them. But if thousands of us email them now, they could see that this is a growing threat to Coca-Cola's fun, friendly image.
It could be enough to get them to condemn the anti-gay laws, in a major blow to President Putin. Can you send a quick email?
