Google’s Winter Olympics doodle protests Russian anti-gay laws

Go onto the Google homepage today and you’ll see a doodle marking the start of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. That’s not really all that surprising, given that the internet giant marks pretty much every big event with some form of artwork on its front page.

This doodle though is a little different. Look below it, and you’ll see the following quote:

“The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.” –Olympic Charter

Click on the doodle and instead of being taken to search page themed around the Winter Olympics, you’ll see results around the Olympic Charter which promotes non-discrimination.

The doodle, it turns out, is actually a protest against Russia’s anti-gay laws and the violent treatment often meted out to gay people in that country.

Google has something of a history of championing gay rights. In June last year, it unveiled an easter egg that put a rainbow behind your search bar if you typed in the word “gay”.

In 2012 meanwhile, it put out a video campaign in support of gay marriage rights. At the time four US states were considering gay marriage ballot initiatives.