Russian Pole Vaulter Says Russians Are Normal: ‘We Just Live Boys With Women, And Women With Boys.’

Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva’s comment seem to have lost something in translation.

Can it be that Russian women only like sex with young boys? Don’t they find Russian men appealing? Surely it can’t be the after effects of a vodka fueled evening that is so off-putting for the women – or can it?

It seems that Isinbayeva was actually referring to Russia’s controversial law prohibiting the dissemination of any information to minors about gay relationships.

This is a law which forbids anyone from carrying a rainbow flag in the street, or referring to anything to do with gays in social media, like Facebook.

Whilst she attempted to backtrack on her remarks on Friday she cannot deny that, at a news conference on Thursday, she severely criticized two Swedish athletes for wearing rainbow-colored nail polish.

But, whatever pressure was applied to her, it resulted in this U-turn statement:

“What I wanted to say was that people should respect the laws of other countries, particularly when they are guests. I respect the views of my fellow athletes, and let me state in the strongest terms that I am opposed to any discrimination against gay people.”

Nikolai Alexeyev, Russia’s most prominent gay-rights activist, said: “She is a very recognized figure around the world. And I think she should be thinking of what she is saying … I am not surprised that the story is starting to develop and she has to find an excuse for what she said.”

Although homosexuality was decriminalized in 1993, antipathy toward gays has been widespread and longstanding in Russia.

A survey by the independent Levada Center polling agency released a week after the law was passed found 76 percent of Russians supported it and 17 percent opposed it.

So it seems, after all, that this Russian pole vaulter is actually expressing the will of the majority of Russians.

Photo Credit: breakingthemidnight.com