Blondie explains Sochi Olympics protest

Blondie recently turned down an offer to perform at the Sochi Winter Olympics in the most public way imaginable. They tweeted a picture of the proposed contract with the words "PASS. HUMAN RIGHTS" scrawled on it.

#pass4humanrights #Sochi2014 pic.twitter.com/b7A8HA0SsZ

— Debbie Harry/BLONDIE (@BlondieOfficial) February 7, 2014

Now, Debbie Harry has elaborated on her decision in a statement sent to The Huffington Post.

"Blondie has always been a part of the downtown community in NYC, with many, many friends who represent alternative lifestyles," Harry said. "We feel very strongly about these friendships and associations, and don't feel good about participating in a situation where biases and prejudices are paramount." 

Harry isn't the first to speak out against the anti-gay policies of the Olympics' host country. Prior to the games Lady Gaga, Stephen Fry, Elton John and even Glenn Beck spoke out against the strict anti-LGBT propaganda laws.

"Anybody within the sound of my voice that hates a gay person because they're gay, you have no place calling yourself a fan of mine," Beck said on his radio show. "You have no place in this country...You are not a fan of mine, you have no friendship here, if you hate people because they're gay...You have no place claiming that you're a fan of this show.... If that's who you are, I don't want to have anything to do with you." 

President Obama even went so far as to abstain from visiting the games, sending a coalition of openly gay athletes in his stead.