Russian athletes Kseniya Ryzhova and Tatyana Firova shared a kiss on the medal stand Saturday after winning gold at the World Athletics Championships in the 4×400 meter relay, sparking a debate over whether the gesture was a sign of celebration, or a protest of their country’s anti-LGBT laws.
Neither athlete has released a statement about the kiss and it was unclear Sunday if it was in protest. The kiss nevertheless flies in the face of Russia’s law banning any form of “homosexual propaganda.”
Earlier in the week, another Russian track athlete, Yelena Isinbayeva, backtracked on comments that appeared to support the law.
“If we allow to promote and do all this stuff on the street, we are very afraid about our nation because we consider ourselves like normal, standard people,” said Isinbayeva Thursday. “We just live with boys with women, women with boys.” LGBT activists have called for a boycott of the upcoming Sochi winter olympics in protest over the law, which grants officials the authority to arrest gay people or those suspected of being gay.
Emily DeCiccio Recommended
