{"id":20304,"date":"2022-07-20T15:23:54","date_gmt":"2022-07-20T15:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/tennis-star-daria-kasatkina-says-ukraine-war-must-end-comes-out-as-gay\/"},"modified":"2022-07-20T15:23:54","modified_gmt":"2022-07-20T15:23:54","slug":"tennis-star-daria-kasatkina-says-ukraine-war-must-end-comes-out-as-gay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/tennis-star-daria-kasatkina-says-ukraine-war-must-end-comes-out-as-gay\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennis star Daria Kasatkina says Ukraine war must end, comes out as gay"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div class=\"wpds-c-grBDNq hide-for-print mb-sm undefined\">\n<div class=\"PJLV PJLV-iAjpuP-css flex items-center pr-sm\" data-qa=\"article-actions\">\n<div class=\"wpds-c-fLphcs\"><button class=\"wpds-c-gNHrZC wpds-c-gNHrZC-bywHgD-variant-primary wpds-c-gNHrZC-biynoz-density-compact wpds-c-gNHrZC-hZSyid-isOutline-true wpds-c-gNHrZC-ejCoEP-icon-left wpds-c-gNHrZC-futxca-cv wpds-c-gNHrZC-ihhnWqF-css\"><button class=\"PJLV PJLV-igcOMTV-css\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" role=\"img\" class=\"wpds-c-coakfw wpds-c-efqEZa focus-highlight flex items-center justify-center brad-lg pointer transition-400 ease-in-out transition-colors\" aria-label=\"Comment on this story\" iconstyle=\"[object Object]\"><title>Comment on this story<\/title><path d=\"M14 14V2H2v9.47h8.18L12.43 13ZM3 10.52V3h10v9.23l-2.5-1.66Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p>Comment<\/p>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"teaser-content grid-center\">\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Daria Kasatkina, Russia&#8217;s highest-ranked female tennis player has come out as gay and the war in Ukraine in an unusually candid interview that highlighted the difficulties top athletes face in navigating the repercussions of the conflict \u2014 both at home and abroad.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Kasatkina, 25, touched on two of the most sensitive topics in Russia \u2014 Ukraine and LGBTQ rights \u2014 in a wide-ranging conversation with Russian blogger Vitya Kravchenko that was recorded in Barcelona and released Monday on YouTube.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Kasatkina \u2014 the world No.  12 in women&#8217;s tennis \u2014 said she wanted \u201cthe war to end\u201d and described the conflict as \u201ca full-blown nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">She said there \u201chadn&#8217;t been a single day since February 24,\u201d when Russia invaded Ukraine, that she hadn&#8217;t read or thought about the war.  She expressed empathy for Ukrainian players affected by the war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cI want to play against players who have an opportunity to train and prepare for tournaments just like me, who don&#8217;t need to worry about courts being bombed and [having] nowhere to go,\u201d she added.  \u201cI can&#8217;t imagine what it&#8217;s like to have no home \u2014 not because you haven&#8217;t bought it, but because your home was taken away.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Kasatkina is the latest Russian athlete to speak out against the war, in defiance of laws in Russia that ban anyone from criticizing what officials there call Russia&#8217;s \u201cspecial military operation\u201d in Ukraine.  Several other Russian tennis players have called for an end to the war, including the men&#8217;s No.  8 Andrey Rublev \u2014 though many have done so in more vague terms than Kasatkina.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Acknowledging the significance of the stance she was taking, Kasatkina broke down in tears in one of the videos when she was asked whether she was scared she would no longer be able to go back to Russia, admitting it was something she had considered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p><span class=\"font--article-body font-copy hide-for-print ma-0 pb-md db italic interstitial\">A horror-themed website told readers to &#8216;hunt&#8217; gay people.  Then an activist was stabbed to death.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">During the interview, Kasatkina also revealed that she has a girlfriend \u2014 a significant move, given that LGBTQ issues are taboo in Russia, where it has been illegal for nearly a decade to disseminate information to minors about \u201cnontraditional sexual relationships\u201d including gay relationships.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cI believe it&#8217;s important that influential people from sports, or any other sphere really, speak about it,\u201d she said, adding that \u201cliving in the closet\u201d would be too difficult in the long term.  \u201cIt&#8217;s pointless, you&#8217;ll be constantly focused on that, until you choose to come out,\u201d she said, although she added that it was up to each person on \u201chow to do it and how much to tell.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">she later <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DKasatkina\/status\/1549130386915168257\" target=\"_blank\">posted a photo on social media<\/a> with figure skater Natalia Zabiiako \u2014 who has competed for Russia, Estonia and Canada \u2014 and the caption \u201cmy cutie pie.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Last year, the US-based nonprofit Freedom House gave Russia a score of zero when it comes to the equal treatment of minorities, including gay people, in society.  \u201cLGBT+ people are also subject to considerable discrimination, which has worsened in the last decade,\u201d the group wrote in its report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Just two years ago, a constitutional amendment was passed defining marriage exclusively as between a man and a woman.  Russia has also banned pro-LGBTQ demonstrations and restricted LGBTQ advocacy groups.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">When asked when she thought it would be acceptable for a same-sex couple to hold hands in public in Russia, Kasatkina answered: \u201cNever.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p><span class=\"font--article-body font-copy hide-for-print ma-0 pb-md db italic interstitial\">Russia accuses Ukraine of helicopter strike on Belgorod fuel depot<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Kasatkina also touched on the global debate about the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes in major sporting events, after many international sports competitions banned them in response to the war in Ukraine.  Tennis players have been allowed to compete in many major tournaments so long as they stay neutral on the conflict \u2014 and they cannot compete under their national flags.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">However, in a move that later proved controversial in tennis, Wimbledon banned Russian and Belorussian athletes from competing altogether \u2014 including Kasatkina, and many of the world&#8217;s top male and female players.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p><span class=\"font--article-body font-copy hide-for-print ma-0 pb-md db italic interstitial\">Wimbledon&#8217;s Russia and Belarus ban leaves 16 of the top 100 on the outside<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">While not explicitly giving an opinion on the ban, Kasatkina said that \u201csports is not outside of politics\u201d but added that they \u201creally united\u201d people and nations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"b bt bc-offblack dn-ns hide-for-print\" data-testid=\"mostRead\" subscriptions-section=\"content\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Comment on this story Comment Daria Kasatkina, Russia&#8217;s highest-ranked female tennis player has come out as gay and the war in Ukraine in an unusually candid interview that highlighted the difficulties top athletes face in navigating the repercussions of the conflict \u2014 both at home and abroad. Kasatkina, 25, touched on two of the most &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/tennis-star-daria-kasatkina-says-ukraine-war-must-end-comes-out-as-gay\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Tennis star Daria Kasatkina says Ukraine war must end, comes out as gay<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19906,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/daria-kasatkina-top-russian-tennis-player-comes-out-as-gay\/","url_meta":{"origin":20304,"position":0},"title":"Daria Kasatkina: Top Russian tennis player comes out as gay","date":"July 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Daria Kasatkina, currently ranked No. 12 in the world, told a Russian blogger that she is in a relationship with a woman, figure skater Natalia Zabiiako. 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