If it’s hard to come out in more gay-friendly countries, imagine being Daria Kasatkina: the Russian tennis player who recently announced she has a girlfriend.
In an interview with YouTuber Vitya Kravachenko, Kasatkina said that “living in the closet” is impossible, saying she has a girlfriend.
“Living in peace with yourself is the only thing that matters, fuck everyone else,” Kasatkina said.
“I believe it is important that influential people from sports, or any other sphere really speak about it.
“It is important for young people who have a hard time with society and need support.”
After the interview was uploaded, Kasatkina Instagrammed a picture with Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako, who she called “my cutie pie” on Twitter.
The tennis star cited Russian footballer Nadya Karpova, who has also revealed she is gay, as inspiration for coming out. Karpova is equally thrilled about Kasatkina.
“When I heard the news about Kasatkina, I couldn’t believe it, I was so proud,” said Nadya Karpova, according to the Guardian. “I was ecstatic, jumping around like crazy in my flat.
“It is so important for younger people to have role models who are like them. For them to see that there is absolutely nothing wrong with them,” Karpova added. “The timing is so symbolic as well, with all the fucked-up things happening in Russia.”
To make matters dicier for Kasatkina, her girlfriend Zabiiako, and footballer Karpova, the Russian government recently proposed a new “gay propaganda law,” which would bar any promotion of “non-traditional” sexual relationships.
In fact, the bill to “ban public discussion of LGBTQ+ relationships in a positive or neutral light, and any LGBTQ+ content in cinemas,” was introduced just hours before Kasatkina’s interview.
Perhaps that informed Zabiiako’s tweet of a picture of herself and Kasatkina, along with the caption “mama I’m a criminal.”
Earlier in July, Russian Parliamentarian Vyacheslav Volodin said that Russia leaving the Council of Europe human rights watchdog meant rule-makers could ban the promotion of “non-traditional values.”
“Demands to legalise same-sex marriages in Russia are a thing of the past,” Volodin said. “Attempts to impose alien values on our society have failed.”
Igor Kochetkov, a representative of the LGBT Network–a Russian group defending gay rights–described Kasatkina’s announcement as “monumental.”
“This is the first time in our history that an undisputed sports star of Kasatkina’s stature has come out. And in Putin’s Russia, sport is always political,” Kochetkov said.
Despite criticism of the invasion of Ukraine or the Russian military being met with potential fines and prison time–and the fact that Putin has held rallies with Russia’s top athletes to seek support for the terror–when asked what she wants most in life, Kasatkina said “For the war to end… it’s a nightmare.”
