Russia: ‘Lesbian’ duo t.A.T.u tipped for Olympics opening ceremony
The Russian pop duo t.A.T.u have been rumoured to perform at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday.
The duo are most famous in the West for their 2002 hit “All The Things She Said”, which received attention at the time for a suggestive video which showed the two singers, Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova, dressed as schoolgirls kissing in the rain.
The details of the opening ceremony are a closely guarded secret, but the Wall Street Journal reports that it is rumoured the group may perform.
They officially split in 2011, but have since re-united on a number of occasions, and have previously spoken out in favour of LGBT rights.
As the country’s most successful pop act, they also entered Eurovision for Russia in 2003, and performed as an interval act in 2009, where they sang with the Russian Army Choir in front of a giant pink tank decorated with flowers.
Though Yulia is bisexual, Lena has previously confirmed she is straight, and that the band’s lesbian image is an “act”.
Attitudes towards gay people in Russia have hardened in recent years, and if made today the duo’s 2002 music video might see them facing arrest under last year’s ‘gay propaganda’ law, which prohibits all “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations”.
There are questions about the safety of gay Russians and visitors to the Olympic games under the law, but President Vladimir Putin has said that gay people will be safe “if they leave kids alone”.
Watch the music video for ‘All The Things She Said’ below:
