Instead of cutting ties with its sister city, the town of Chapel Hill should take advantage of this valuable opportunity to work with the people of Saratov on accepting their gay citizens.
The relationship between sister cities, while often a mere formality, is predicated upon cultural exchange.
Chapel Hill and Saratov have had an official relationship since 1992, but contact between the two municipalities has waned in the last decade.
Severing an already deficient relationship with Saratov would do little to enlighten the town’s residents or promote tolerance.
If anything, now is the time to ramp up the dialogue. Why have a sister city if the opportunity for educative discourse isn’t seized?
It comes across as not only a feel-good gesture for Chapel Hill, but more so a missed opportunity to take advantage of the town’s ability to actually make an impact.
Valuable sister city relationships everywhere would crumble if differing laws or ideals of the two nations provided an adequate reason to cut ties.
Major cities like Milan and Venice have already ended their partnerships with their respective Russian sister cities in response to the nation’s anti-gay law.
Chapel Hill should put an end to this trend and provide an example for other American cities debating the issue.
As Chapel Hill and Dallas, Texas share Saratov as a sister city, the two should collaborate to work with their Russian counterparts to strike down the intolerance that their nation champions.
