Foreign activists are gearing up for public gestures of protest during the games, which has brought fear to Russian homosexuals.
For Pavel Petel, that fear has transformed his once openly gay lifestyle.
An extraordinary figure in Russia, Mr Petel has built a career as an openly gay performance artist, publicly flaunting the bare minimum, wearing big heels and wigs.
Now Mr Petel worries about his safety and fears arrest.
He says the only way to exist in Russia is to change his way of life.
"I'm scared to come to the streets now wearing wigs or heels, I wear them much more rarely," he said.
Traditionally a conservative country, Russia has never been one to embrace gay rights.
In Russia, homosexuality was decriminalised 20 years ago, however, since then, parliament has passed an anti-gay propaganda law, making it illegal to promote gay relationships to children.
In Moscow, the gay scene is often referred to as "ghetto", with the population forced to live in secrecy.
"They're not imposed to stay in the ghetto but they feel more comfortable because they can.. you know," Viktor Michaelson said.
Since the gay propaganda law, a tide of gay intolerance has swept across Russia.
Mr Petel is now receiving threats online and the straight nightclubs that hired him to perform have stopped offering work.
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