– Do you have a girlfriend? – Yes. Russian tennis player Dasja Kasatkina is one of the very first Russian athletes to publicly say that she is a lesbian. She does this in a YouTube feature, where she is interviewed by the Russian blogger Vitya Kravchenko. After talking about tennis for a while, Kravchenko asks: – Do you have something you want to tell? Kasatkina admits that she was a little nervous about telling it in front of the camera. – But now when I sit here, I’m happy about it, she says with a good laugh. Soccer player was first Kasatkina is ranked as Russia’s best female tennis player, and reached the semifinals of the French Open this summer, her best performance in a grand slam tournament. She says that she is inspired by the football player Nadja Karpova, who in an interview with the BBC recently came out of the closet and said that she is a lesbian. – Nadja did something a Russian athlete has never done before, says Kasatkina. – I am happy on her behalf, and also on behalf of others, Not only has Nadja helped herself by coming out, and by lifting the burden by herself, but she has also helped others. – Will never be accepted in Russia In Russia, everything about gays and lesbians is taboo. She believes that people of the same sex who hold each other’s hands in public will never be accepted in Russia. – Never. As the direction is in Russia now, it will never happen. We had some good trends a few years ago. Then we were getting closer to the West, she says. Kasatkina has also been critical of Russia’s war in Ukraine, a war that has resulted in most international sports organizations banning Russian athletes. – Before, we had international competitions at all levels. We no longer have that, and competitions mean everything. This could mean the death of Russian tennis, she says. – She risks a lot FEAR: – She risks a lot, says Professor Atle Grønn Photo: Fredrik Hagen / NTB – I can understand that this tennis player finds it very uncomfortable to be gay in Russia, says Atle Grønn, professor of Russian at the University of Oslo. Green thinks Russia’s war against Ukraine is partly due to the West’s acceptance of gays. – It is completely incomprehensible that one can link that war to homosexuality. To me, this is the surest sign that there is something seriously wrong with the public rhetoric in Russia. He believes that the laws in Russia are vague about what one can say as a homosexual. – She risks a lot. When you talk about the war, it can get a lot worse. They can use that against her, says Atle Grønn.
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