The first racket of Russia Daria Kasatkina came out and said that she was dating a girl. She announced this in an interview with Viktor Kravchenko for the YouTube channel of the same name. A fragment of the interview is quoted by Sports.ru:
– Now there will be clearly an unhealthy interest in you. Let's put it this way: Do you even have a girlfriend now?
– Yes.
– Do you think that this topic is taboo in Russia, is it normal or not?
“Damn it, there are so many taboo topics in our country. And there are more important topics that are forbidden, so there is nothing to be surprised at.
Here is the phrase “if you want to be gay” – if you want it, you don’t want it, you know, you did it, you didn’t. #####, well, what kind of nonsense is this. Really, there is nothing easier, it seems to me, in the world than to be straight. Given a choice, who would choose to be gay? Complicate your life, seriously? Especially in Russia.
— When do you think it will be possible to walk by the hand in Russia?
– Never. Well damn, judging by the way things are going, never. We had some progress not so long ago – approximately when the World Cup was – some progress. It was-it was. Blocked the road, repair work.
In June, one of the main stars of Russian football, Nadezhda Karpova, also came out. About why she decided to make a public statement after five years of living in Spain, she said this:
“I stopped being afraid to talk about certain things. I understand that no one will blame me for living with a girl. Here, being a lesbian is not stigmatized. This is where the coach might ask, “Is your girlfriend coming to the match?” I just thought, wow! In Russia, people ask if you have a boyfriend. Here they ask if you have a "partner" – pareja.
Earlier today (July 18), deputies submitted to the State Duma a bill prohibiting the promotion of non-traditional relationships and the denial of family values. The document was published in the Duma electronic database. Now responsibility is provided only for the promotion of non-traditional sexual relations among minors.
