On Thursday, Google publicly addressed Russia‘s anti-gay policies. To coincide with the Sochi Winter Games, the Google homepage was updated to depict a rainbow flag (an image associated with LGBT movements) on its Olympics-themed doodle. Check it out:
And if Vladimir Putin goes to Google’s homepage in Russia, this is what he’ll see:
And when you’re not on the homepage, here’s the search bar:
“Google has made a clear and unequivocal statement that Russia’s anti-LGBT discrimination is indefensible,” Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement. “Now it’s time for each and every remaining Olympic sponsor to follow their lead. The clock is ticking, and the world is watching.”
For those keeping count, the Guardian is another “G” that recently modified its logo to resemble a rainbow flag to mark the start of the Sochi Olympics this week.
The Google doodle has been used to deliver political messages before. For example, the company once censored its logo to protest controversial anti-piracy bills.
Google did not respond to Mother Jones‘ requests for comment.
