Daria Kasatkina thrilled to be an inspiration to LGBT Russians
Daria Kasatkina takes heart from the encouragement she offers through her vlog of her experiences as a top WTA star.
Kasatkina has made waves in Russia after coming out as gay in 2022 and opposing the war against Ukraine.
She says that the words of fans in support of her vlog encourage her to keep going.
“We’re getting a lot of feedback from Russia, from people who are struggling right now and who are in this terrible position and cannot do anything about it,” Kasatkina told ESPN.
“And some of the people say that watching our vlog is the only inspirational thing they have right now. There was one who said, ‘I just found your channel and I watched all the videos in two days and it helps me so much to live right now.’ It’s touching. It’s really touching. And it’s unexpected, really, because at the beginning we didn’t think we would get this reaction.”
Kasatkina admits that going public about her private life did give her pause for thought.
However, she felt like she could do great good for others.
“A few years before coming out, I was in the moment where I wasn’t sure, I wasn’t confident in myself because I wasn’t sure of anything I was doing,” Kasatkina said.
“Is it right or not? There were so many thoughts in my head, and I just couldn’t fix it.”
Kasatkina felt that it was vital to offer a counter to anti-LGBT propaganda.
“So many subjects are taboo in Russia, some of them more important than ours, it’s no surprise. This notion of someone wanting to be gay or becoming one is ridiculous,” Kasatkina said.
“I think there is nothing easier in this world than being straight. Seriously, if there is a choice, no one would choose being gay. Why make your life harder, especially in Russia? What’s the point?”
She credits girlfiend Natalia Zabiiako with being the driving force behind the vlog.
“She does everything,” Kasatkina said. “It’s a Natasha production completely. Sometimes she’s not sleeping during the night because she has a deadline for it [to post]. But it’s all in her head, there is no set deadline, she’s just that focused on it.”
Even though she had moved away from Russia before coming out, Kasatkina misses her friends and family back home.
“Even before the war I didn’t live there, but I was still very connected to the place and it kind of got taken away,” Kasatkina said.
“It’s not this love of the motherland but this desire to go because my friends are there, my family is there. I know everything there. I am from there. I can’t just shut that down. It’s still there, but I have to accept that there is no deadline [to be able to return], and I just don’t know when I’ll be able to go back.”#
READ MORE: Daria Kasatkina honoured for anti-war stance and fight for LGBTQ+ rights
