After LGBT Twitter Activism, Is Sochi Olympics Social Media Marketing Dead ?

#LGBT Advocates Hijack @McDonalds #CheersToSochi #SocialMedia Campaign. @bilericoproject: http://t.co/HrYRqW6gfH pic.twitter.com/JZ536iQnlC

— Queer Nation NY (@QueerNationNY) January 23, 2014

LGBT Activists Twitter Bomb McDonald's Olympic Hashtag Campaign Until McDonald's Apparently Gives Up.

The Sochi Olympics corporate sponsors, who have been coldly indifferent to President Vladimir Putin's violent crackdown on LGBT Russians, have become targets of online protests by LGBT activists.

Ever since the fastfood chain McDonald's announced a Twitter hashtag campaign around #CheersToSochi, LGBT activists have been reappropriating that hashtag for messages about McDonald's callous response to the ongoing state-sponsored violence and discrimination against LGBT Russians by their very own government.

• RELATED : LGBT Activists Hijack #CheersToSochi

LGBT activists have been challenging Olympic sponsors, like McDonald's, to break their silence around the violent crackdown against LGBT Russians. When multiple users coordinate tweets with the same hashtag on Twitter, it's called Twitter bombing, a term used to describe either activism or a form of guerrilla advertising, as a way to increase visibility about connotations surrounding a particular hashtag. In the case of McDonald's, activists were trying to convert the commercial aspect of McDonald's Twitter hashtag into a protest about cold, corporate callousness.

If u believe in equality & dignity of ur #LGBT employees, u would press Putin to repeal discrimination laws. @McDonalds #CheersToSochi

— LGBT Civil Rights (@lgbtcivilrights) January 21, 2014

• RELATED : Queer Nation NY Protests Outside NBC's The Today Show Over Olympic Coverage And Silence On Russian LGBT Crackdown

The effort of some LGBT activists to challenge McDonald's gained the attention of one prominent openly gay media figure, Michelangelo Signorile, who has been following the LGBT Twitter bombing.

Clarification: The hijacking of @McDonalds #CheersToSochi hashtag by #LGBT activists is fascinating. Seems @McDonalds has given up entirely.

— Mike Signorile (@MSignorile) January 23, 2014

After about three days of the Twitter bombing campaign, McDonald's has appeared to have ceased using #CheersToSochi on Twitter, leading LGBT activists to believe that the large fastfood giant had seen its online goodwill deteriorate beyond salvation.

How are any Olympic sponsors going to be able to promote their brands after the @McDonalds #CheersToSochi disaster? @CocaCola beware!

— Mike Signorile (@MSignorile) January 23, 2014

The damage that McDonald's is doing to its own reputation following it's deadly silence on the violent Russian LGBT crackdown comes at a time when the world's largest hamburger chain is losing customer loyalty and is facing an embarrassing sales slump. "We've lost some of our customer relevance," CEO Don Thompson told Wall Street analysts during a conference call this week.

• RELATED : Queer Nation NY protests against Russian LGBT discrimination enablers continue, this time at Carnegie Hall

Activists from around the world are questioning why the media and people in the media are refusing to acknowledge the human rights abuses taking place against LGBT's in Russia. Last year, the French pop superstar Mylène Farmer was in Russia when anti-LGBT violence broke out in Saint-Pétersbourg. Ms. Farmer, who enjoys a huge LGBT fan base, remained mum about each of the violent attack and the over-all crackdown that claims as victims her very own LGBT Russian fan base.

• RELATED : London gay rights protest over Coca-Cola Sochi sponsorship

LGBT activists have also been targeting special NBC Olympics commentator Johnny Weir, the former figure skater. Mr. Weir has been using many media appearances to deny that the violent LGBT crackdown is taking place in Russia -- leading activists to label Mr. Weir as a "Putin apologist."

Putin apologist, Sochi 2014 Winter Games shill, Comrade Johnny Weir wants you to know you hurt his feelings. http://t.co/FTNOTKTGuT

— LGBT For Change (@lgbt4change) January 16, 2014

A Gay Man Shuts Down Hateful Urban Preacher on NYC Subway

A man, who identified himself as gay, spoke up for himself and on behalf of all LGBT people, after an urban preacher began to shows hateful religious messages. The other straphangers applauded several times in a show of support to the gay man.

The video was posted on YouTube on Saturday, February 16, and it has begun to go viral.

HRC Seeks Self-Dissolution ?

"HRC, your time is near ; fake inclusion won't work here."

Activists from the Queer/LGBTIQA2Z Occupy Wall Street, a caucus of activists affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement, protested outside a fancy and expensive gala "corporate event" sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign.

Activists accuse HRC of refusing to work for the benefit of the LGBT community, which HRC purports to represent. HRC also refuses to create a transparent process, activists allege, which would include participation and "inclusion" of grassroots groups in the LGBT equality movement

Nobody knows how much money HRC wasted to pay for the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel corporate function. Indeed, if it continues to use member donations to pay for corporate functions like this, some activists said that HRC will be forced to dissolve like some past social movement groups, which fizzle out.

Air France refuses to take part in LGBT Deportation of Joseph Kaute from the UK to Cameroon

Air France Refuses to Fly Failed Gay Asylum Seeker to Cameroon : Third attempt to deport Joseph Kaute fails

From UK Gay News : LONDON -- August 6, 2011 – Joseph Kaute, the 43-years-old gay Cameroonian who was due to be deported from the UK this morning, is back at Harmondsworth detention centre this evening, thanks to Air France, the airline that was due to fly him from Heathrow back to Yaoundé via Paris. It was the third attempt to deport him. “Air France refused to allow me to board,” Mr. Kaute told UK Gay News by telephone, this evening. He added that he was aware of the eleventh-hour campaign mounted yesterday evening to prevent the deportation, with representations made directly to Air France in both Paris and London. “I would like to thank all those who helped me,” he said. Mr. Kaute arrived in the UK in November last year and claimed asylum, saying that he was gay and that he faced up to five years imprisonment. However, a tribunal in Newport, Wales, refused to accept that he was gay. ...

LGBT Activists Arrested Protests

Since 2009, 329 LGBT Americans and their allies have been arrested in protests in the United States for LGBT civil rights, marriage equality, and an end to all forms of de jure discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

In what can reasonably be described as a giant "wave" of political protests in connection with the LGBT liberation movement, several acts of civil disobedience and other forms of direct action have taken place since 2009 to end the U.S. government's and the American culture's oppression of LGBT Americans.

Following below, is a brief summary of known protests, which resulted in the political arrests of activists. Not only are LGBT activists fighting the de jure discrimination embedded within the laws of the United States, but, in cracking down on political dissidents, the United States can also be seen as further violating the human rights of these freedom fighters.

DATE *	DESCRIPTION OF PROTEST AND ARREST(S) **
May 26, 2009	211 arrested for shutting down freeway in SF over Prop 8 ruling. [A forthcoming link with follow to a link with a list of many names as publicly available of the people, who were arrested.]
February 12, 2010	Four people were arrested at the NYC marriage Bureau : Alan Bounville, Jake Goodman, Justin Elzie, and Gabriel Yuri Bollag.
March 18, 2010,	Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. Jim Pietrangelo were arrested after they chained themselves to the White House fence in a protest of the Military's controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy (DADT) ; Robin McGehee was also arrested.
March 18, 2010	Ten arrested (4 in DC and 6 in SF) : [A forthcoming link with follow to a link with a list of many names as publicly available of the people, who were arrested.]
April 20, 2010	Six military activists were arrested at the White House fence during a subsequent protest against DADT : Those, who were arrested, were identified to be : Lt. Dan Choi, Capt. Jim Pietrangelo, Petty Officer Larry Whitt, Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Cadet Mara Boyd and Cpl. Evelyn Thomas.
April 26, 2010	Five arrested in Phoenix at McCain’s office over DADT. The names of the people, who were arrested, are : First Class Petty Officer Lonnie Allen Howard-Stidham, Meg Sneed, Jimmy Gruender, Luisa Valdez, and Lee Walters.
May 2, 2010	Six civilian activists were arrested at the White House fence during still yet another protest against DADT : Anne Tischer, Nora Camp, Alan Bounville, Natasha Dillon, Iana Di Bona, and Mark Reed.
May 20, 2010	13 arrested in Chicago at Durbin’s office over the draft congressional bill known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). [A forthcoming link with follow to a link with a list of many names as publicly available of the people, who were arrested.]
May 26, 2010	Kip Williams arrested at Obama Fundraiser over DADT.
July 21, 2010	13 arrested in Las Vegas for shutting down the freeway over ENDA. [A forthcoming link with follow to a link with a list of many names as publicly available of the people, who were arrested.]
July 28, 2010	Eight people were arrested at the Rotunda because of their support of ENDA. The people, who were arrested in this act of civil disobedience, were identified to be : Orelia Busch of D.C.; Charles Butler of D.C.; Sean Carlson of Hyattsville, Md.; Shannon Cuttle of D.C.; Robert Diesu of D.C.; Erika Knepp of Edgewater, Md.; David McElhatton of San Francisco, Calif.; and Zack Rosen of D.C.
October 8, 2010	Alan Bounville and Iana Di Bona were arresting during a ''die-in'' at Grand Central Terminal in New York City; the protest was staged to bring attention to the lives that are being lost due to homophobia/transphobia/bullying against LGBT people
October 14, 2010,	Alan Bounville was arrested while he and Iana Di Bona were holding a vigil for LGBT civil rights outside Sen. Gillibrand's New York City campaign office.
November 15, 2010	13 activists were arrested, after they had handcuffed themselves to the White House fence in protest of DADT. [A forthcoming link with follow to a link with a list of many names as publicly available of the people, who were arrested.]
November 16 2010,	Audrey Smith was arrested after she refused to leave a sit-in that she and Tyson Daniels and Caryn Winters had organised at the office of Pennsylvania Congressman Chris Carney.
February 14, 2011	Six activists were arrested in Chicago during a Valentine's Day protest. The names of the people, who were arrested, are : Cassandra Avenatti, Lindsey Dietzler, Corrine Mina, Noa Francis Shayden, Judy Heithmar, and Danelle Wylder.
February 14, 2011	18 arrested in San Francisco following a marriage license protest. [A forthcoming link with follow to a link with a list of many names as publicly available of the people, who were arrested.]
March 1, 2011	Eight members of Queer Rising were arrested in New York City following a protest in support of marriage equality. The people, who were arrested, were identified to be : Kevin Beauchamp, blind gay activist; Nora Camp, queer activist; Natasha Dillon, lesbian activist; Frostie Flakes (aka Adam Siciliano), drag queen activist; Jake Goodman, queer activist; Honey LaBronx (aka Ben Strothmann), drag queen activist; Eugene Lovendusky, gay activist; Kitten Withuwip (aka Caldwell) drag queen activist.
March 9, 2011	Five people were arrested at House Speaker John Boehner’s office over the Speaker's plan to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The names of the people, who were arrested, are : Sean Watkins, Morgan Bonney, Jesse Bonney, Liz Mills, and Karay Miller.
April 4, 2011	Five LGBT activists were arrested following a series of coordinated political protests in New York City. The activists, who were arrested, were identified to be : Natasha Dillon (26, lesbian activist); Kevin Donohue (51, gay Jewish activist); Melissa Kleckner (31, straight ally); Ali Lozano (20, lesbian student activist); and Robert Moore (30, gay Mormon activist).
June 6, 2011	Three arrested in North Carolina over proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage between man/woman. Those, who were arrested, were identified to be : Angel Chandler, the North Carolina organizer for GetEqual; her partner, Nancy Counce ; and Jim Neal, an Asheville city councilman who ran for the U.S. Senate in 2008.