Daria Kasatkina probably would have won Lesbian of the Year (2022) if there was such an award. The Russian tennis star did not only have a stellar year on the court, making it to the world’s top 10, but she showed a lot of courage off the court, too.
While Putin’s government motioned a “gay propaganda” law and Russian lawmakers backed it, meaning even mentioning one’s sexual orientation could be viewed as “propaganda,” Kasatkina came out.
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 with Vitya Kravachenko, where she said that “living in the closet” is impossible. She then confirmed that she has a girlfriend: Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako.
“Living in peace with yourself is the only thing that matters, fuck everyone else,” Kasatkina said.
While Putin’s government suppressed dissent over the invasion of Ukraine, Kastkina criticized it
When asked what she wants most in life, Kasatkina said “For the war to end… it’s a nightmare.”
While coming out and speaking up against the invasion of Ukraine were huge risks, Kastkina does not regret being honest.
In fact, in a recent interview, Kasatkina was happy that she “didn’t face any negativity, especially from the people [she knows],” after announcing her same-sex relationship.
“This topic is very sensitive, so I was ready for some negative reaction, but there was nothing like that. I’m very thankful because that makes me feel so good. Some of the players were coming to me, sometimes they’re still coming to me, to say ‘yeah, it’s cool’ or ‘congrats’ to me. That’s nice.”
Kasatkina said that releasing the burden of having to hide, of thinking about this personal crisis most of the time, has helped her. It outweighed the risk of speaking out against Russian powers and speaking up about her sexual orientation. “To be honest, it helped me,” she said. “I felt less pressure. I put this pressure out of my shoulders because when you have to think about tennis but also to think about some deep things inside your head, it’s just not good.
“I remember after saying all these things, I just felt much better. That was one of the best decisions of the last year and I’m happy with the outcome. And thanks to the people who were next to me supporting me.”
