Anton Krasovsky had been a host and editor-in-chief on the state-controlled, propaganda-based channel Kontr TV, when several months ago he decided that enough was enough.
In an extremely courageous move, considering Russia’s draconian Anti-Gay laws, Anton came out on the air.
Here’s some of what Anton said in his very moving address:
“I├óΓé¼Γäóm gay, and I├óΓé¼Γäóm just the same person as you, my dear audience, as president Putin, as prime minister Medvedev and deputies of our Duma.”
After that he apparently received huge applause from the audience and the show’s staff.
When discussing some of the reasons he decided to come out, especially on pro-Kremlin TV show, Anton was very frank:
“I felt I like a hypocrite, and hypocrisy is what I hate the most about people. The meaning of this whole story we are discussing now is that throughout my whole life I├óΓé¼Γäóve been struggling with myself. And this ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ as you call it ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ coming out is just another battle with myself, with my own hypocrisy, my own lies and my own cowardice.”
Way to overcome your fear, Anton! That must have taken a lot of guts to do.
Not surprisingly, there was an immediate backlash for Anton. Not only was he instantly fired, it almost seemed like Russia wanted to pretend that he never happened in the first place. Here’s what Anton had to say on the matter:
“[T]hey immediately blocked all my corporative accounts, my email. Literally immediately, overnight. They deleted not only my face from the website, but also all of my TV shows, as if I├óΓé¼Γäód never really existed…I was totally shocked. Because it takes them half a day to put up a banner when I ask them to, and here we had such efficiency. One could say they can when they want to. Now they├óΓé¼Γäóve put everything back, but you couldn├óΓé¼Γäót say why, really.”
Well, the announcement now has been taken down from the internet. According to a recent CNN interview, Anton wouldn’t rule out the Kremlin as being behind its deletion.
Anton, hang in there buddy! You can live here where businesses can’t discriminate based on sexual orientation!
[Image via CNN.]