Stoli funds gay rights leadership scheme

Stolichnaya vodka has invested US$300,000 in a US gay rights group just months after the LGBT community called for its products to be boycotted.

Stolichnaya vodka has pledged US$300,000 to a gay rights leadership scheme in the US

In July last year, international LGBT supporters targeted both Stolichnaya vodka and Russian Standard after Russia implemented an “anti-gay” law banning “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” among minors in Russia.

Writer Dan Savage led a boycott in the US, asking LGBT supporters to “show solidarity” with Russian homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals, coining the hashtag #dumpstoli.

Val Mendeleev, chief executive of SPI Group, parent company of Stolichnaya, responded by publishing an open letter to the gay community to stress the group’s opposition to Russia’s “dreadful actions”.

The company has now announced its intention of building more bridges by embarking on a three-year partnership with the LA Gay & Lesbian Centre, donating £300,000 to its leadership scheme.

“Our position at Stoli is clear. We stand with the LGBT community in the fight for equality, and are proud to be working with the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center to make our joint vision possible,” said John Esposito, president of Stoli Group USA.

“Through our strategic partnership we hope to harness the power of our global community, cultivating leaders on a local level in the US to create meaningful change throughout the world.”

The funding will be put towards providing mentoring, internships, training and community support in order to advance LGBT equality.