AT&T has become the first major U.S. company with Olympic ties to condemn Russia’s anti-gay laws, days ahead of the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

In a post on its consumer blog Tuesday, the telecom giant wrote: “We support LGBT equality globally and we condemn violence, discrimination and harassment targeted against LGBT individuals everywhere. Russia’s law is harmful to LGBT individuals and families, and it’s harmful to a diverse society.”

The brand, not an international sponsor of the Olympics like Coca-Cola, Visa, Samsung, McDonald’s and several others, has been a corporate backer of Team USA for 30 years. Some of its current advertising features U.S. Olympians Heath Calhoun (alpine skier), Noelle Pikus-Pace (skeleton) and Justin Reiter (snowboarder).

AT&T, through its Twitter feed #ItsOurTime, is already reaping the rewards of denouncing the Russian laws barring “homosexual propaganda" on social media:

Way to go, @ATT! Thanks for taking a stand! True leadership.
#Olympics #ItsOurTime http://t.co/qUOxUL1G8B

— Andrew Leonard (@drewleonard) February 4, 2014

My phone company rocks. just saying. #raisingthebar #itsourtime

http://t.co/lRRsVzChpU via @tlrd @ATT

— Nick Posusney (@NickJPosusney) February 4, 2014

The U.S.-based Human Rights Campaign has been putting pressure on the pillar Olympic sponsors –- among them Procter & Gamble, Omega, General Electric and Dow Chemical –- to speak out against Russian laws that have targeted the LGBT community there with “violence, harassment, bomb threats and limits on its freedom of speech and assembly.”

The HRC lauded AT&T for its public stand.

“Today, AT&T courageously recommitted itself to fairness, equality and basic human rights. AT&T should be recognized for showing true leadership in opposing this hateful Russian law, and other sponsors that have failed to lead should take corrective action immediately. A company that claims to support LGBT equality should do so wherever it operates, not just in the United States, and we call on all Olympic Sponsors to follow AT&T’s lead and publicly denounce Russia’s anti-LGBT law.”

Ken McNeely, president of AT&T in California, also posted a statement today backing the HRC’s efforts and saying that the company stands by its core values of “diversity and equality.”

“As a Proud Partner of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team for the past 30 years, we’ve showcased American athletes and celebrated their diversity all around the world,” McNeely wrote. “Now, with Russia’s anti-LGBT law and worldwide protests against it, AT&T stands in support of the LGBT community. Discrimination is wrong – plain and simple. We hope that others involved with the Olympic Games will do the same.”

Last week, the HRC and some 40 other human rights organizations from around the world sent an open letter to Olympic sponsors “to urge Russia to halt the rising tide of discrimination, harassment and threats against LGBT people.

So far, companies like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Visa have released statements saying they support inclusion and are working with the International Olympics Committee to ensure that all competitors, participants and spectators at the Games are treated fairly and without discrimination.

Gay rights groups have said the corporate statements don’t go far enough by not expressly condemning the Russian laws.

Activists continue to ramp up their campaign to pressure Olympic sponsors, and international groups like All Out have scheduled demonstrations in 19 cities on Wednesday (among them New York, Paris, London and Rio de Janeiro, site of the 2016 summer Olympics).