Stolichnaya Slams Russia Over Gay Rights

Stolichnaya, one of the most popular vodkas in the United States, came out swinging at the Russian government Thursday with a message of support for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) community worldwide. “Stolichnaya Premium Vodka stands strong & proud with the global LGBT community against the actions and beliefs of the Russian government,” the US company said on its Facebook page. President Vladimir Putin signed a controversial law last month banning the promotion of “non-traditional relationships” toward minors, a move critics says is part of a broader crackdown on Russia’s gay community. Noteworthy, the Stolichnaya vodka distributed in the US has no relation with the Stolichnaya vodka distributed in Russia. US courts have held that the Stolichnaya brand belongs to SPI Group (that apparently issued the above statement).  Russian courts have held that the Stolichnaya brand is held by SPI illegally and in fact belongs to a Russian state-run company. The Stolichnaya vodka distributed in Russia is distilled in Russia, while the vodka distributed by SPI in the US is distilled in Latvia.

http://en.ria.ru/world/20130726/182427294/Stolichnaya-Slams-Russia-Over-Gay-Rights.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolichnaya