Daria Kasatkina honoured for anti-war stance and fight for LGBTQ+ rights

James Richardson 21 Dec 2023 7:13 PM

Daria Kasatkina

Daria Kasatkina of Russia has been named the 2023 Outsports Female Hero of the Year, by the sports news website.

Kasatkina, known for her tenacity and endurance on the court, has faced a barrage of criticism off the court in the last year from her home country.

Last year, the Russian revealed that she was gay and was dating professional figure skater Natalia Zabiiako. Kasatkina was also an outspoken supporter of LGBTQ rights in sports. This was in the middle of Russian lawmakers in her own country advocating for anti-LGBTQ legislation.

Kasatkina’s anti-war stance during the Russia-Ukraine crisis last year earned her many new followers and admirers opf her bravery in standing against the invasion. Her outspoken criticism of Putin’s war may have had terrible consequences for her and her family in Russia.

The 26-year-old’s confidence has soared over the last year, which has been a spectacle for everyone who has followed her journey. She has already finished her first full year on the road as an out athlete and continues to condemn Russia’s attack on neighbouring Ukraine.

Daria Kasatkina used her coming out as gay in July of last year to address numerous taboo themes in Russia in the hope that she could start a discussion.

She told Russian blogger Vitya Kravchenko that she couldn’t “live in the closet” and that she had to come out at some time, despite her country’s attitude on the matter. She criticised her country’s anti-homosexuality and LGBTQ+ policies.

“So many subjects are taboo in Russia,” Kasatkina said. “This notion of someone wanting to be gay or becoming [gay] is ridiculous. I think there is nothing easier in this world than being straight.”

Kastakina would later admit that she worries never being let back into her nation now that she’s come out as gay, let alone do anything as simple as grasp her girlfriend’s hand.

“Living in the closet is impossible. It is too hard, it is pointless,” she added. “Living in peace with yourself is the only thing that matters, and f*** everyone else,” Kasatkina concluded.

She currently lives in Spain with her partner and has intimated that she may choose to switch national allegiences at some point. In 2023 on the WTA Tour she reached two finals but could not add to her total of six career titles.

Her brother is Alexsandr, who also serves as her fitness trainer introduced her to tennis when she was just six.