From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

The anti-gay backlash goes global and anti-American.

Hello again, I'm Aran Alney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International,

a daily look at the issues Americans care about most. The Sochi Olympics have focused attention on Vladimir Putin's anti-gay

laws, but homophobia runs deep in Russia and elsewhere around the world. Putin is not the only

autocratic leader targeting gays to mobilize political supporters, sometimes to the point of deadly

violence. And increased approval of same-sex

marriage in the U.S. and parts of Europe is cited as evidence that the powerful West is decadent.

Today we'll hear what it's like to be gay in Moscow, and what's likely to happen when the

games in Sochi are over. Will pro-gay demonstrations have an impact in Russia? What about Africa?

Will they make life even more dangerous for gays and lesbians?

First, here's the news.

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Program Fund. Hello again. I'm Alney, back with To the Point.

Vladimir Putin's anti-gay laws made headlines before the Sochi Olympics. We'll hear how dangerous

life can be for Russian gays and lesbians. Politicians in other countries, especially in Africa,

are also using homophobia for political purposes. How does that dovetail with anti-Americanism?

Versus news update, Syrian peace talks resumed today in Geneva with no face-to-face negotiations

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