Some who are pushing for gay athletes to compete at the Russian Olympics in Sochi, justify their efforts by pointing out that at least Russian gay activist, Nikolai Alekseev wants to see the Olympics there so that it can be used to draw attention to the plight of queer people in Russia. But now questions are arising as to if Alekseev is all right or if something has happened to him. (bolding is mine)

Something strange is happening on the Facebook and Twitter accounts of Nikolai Alekseev, a prominent — and deeply controversial — Russian gay activist.Over the past several days, Alekseevs posts have become increasingly anti-Western, egomaniacal, malicious, and bizarre — so much so that friends and fellow LGBT activists on both sides of the Atlantic are wondering whether hes suffered some kind of mental breakdown, his account has been hacked, or hes been kidnapped.

While the mystery raises more questions than it answers, it does highlight how dangerous and complex the situation  is in Russia.

The stakes couldn’t be higher as the World watches and considers what Russia is doing, what the IOC will do and what will athletes do. And, while we may be focused on the Olympics, the real tragedy revolves around what gay, lesbian, bi, and trans persons experience simply living in Russia.

via Questions Swirl Around Prominent Russian LGBT Activist | The Bilerico Project.