Vodka Boycott: Gay Rights Advocates, Bars Protest Russia's Anti-Gay Laws

Russia's new influx of anti-gay laws have sparked a slowly-spreading boycott of one of the country's top exports. Sex columnist Dan Savage, founder of the It Gets Better Project, started a "Dump Russian Vodka" campaign in recent weeks to demonstrate to Russia that it's laws against "homosexual propaganda" -- some of which allow police to arrest those who appear gay or pro-gay -- are unacceptable, he wrote.

"Show the world that Russian persecution of gays is unacceptable," a flier for the cause reads. "Boycott Russian vodka until persecution of gays and their allies ends."

The movement has gained support from bars and vodka lovers throughout the U.S., UK and Australia. The campaign particularly target Stoli, which has been particularly boastful about its Russian roots. A gay bar in New York City, G Lounge, wrote in a post that it will no longer be serving the brand to send a message to the Russian government that it will not support its companies if the anti-gay laws continue.

"Stoli, and other Russian vodka brands, take pride in their heritage and past, a past now tarnished by a leader favoring the condemnation and jailing of anyone portraying the LGBT community in a positive light.," the post said. "We will always and forever stand by the LGBT community in any way we can."

CEO Val Mendeleev spoke out against the boycott recently, not because it supports Russia, but because he claims the company has long been pro-gay. He said the company now operate out of Luxembourg due to legal disputes with the Russian government. Stoli is a privately-owned company that produces independently from some Russian-owned distilleries, Yahoo Finance reported.

"The gay community 'is one of the active consumers of Stoli," Mendeleev said.

The SPI Group produced a mini documentary series called "Be Real:Stories From Queer American," back in 2006. Mendeleev said he and his company are always looking for ways to reach out to the gay community, also noting that the brand's Facebook page at one time sported rainbows in support of the LGBT community. Still, Mendeleev's words don't seem to be reaching the social media community, as the #dumpStoli tag spread on Twitter. The movement has also been criticized, however, as "slacktivism" as it is believed to have too broad of a focus.